Local News in Brief : Seal Beach : Man Found in Ocean Was Shot, Police Say

A man whose body was found floating on the ocean floor near the entrance to Anaheim Bay was shot before he was dumped into the sea, police said.

An autopsy Thursday revealed that the man was shot “numerous times” in the upper torso with a handgun, Seal Beach Police Detective Raul Ahumada said. “It’s clear he died from gunshot wounds--not drowning,” he said.

The fully clothed body was discovered Tuesday in about 40 feet of water less than a mile from the entrance to Anaheim Bay off Seal Beach. Ahumada estimated that the badly decomposed body had been in the water for at least a month and, based on currents, had been dumped in the ocean north of Seal Beach and drifted south until it snagged on a buoy line.

Authorities are still trying to identify the victim, who Ahumada said was about 6 feet tall, weighed about 200 pounds and had light brown hair. He said the man was between 30 and 50 years old. Police found no identification on the body.

Ahumada said investigators hope to identify the victim through dental records or fingerprints. Police have received several calls from families of missing persons, but no descriptions have matched.

Anyone with information can call Ahumada or Detective Jay Leonard at the Seal Beach Police Department, (213) 431-2541.