Local News in Brief : Body of Burbank Man Found in River Channel

A 12-year old boy out for a walk Sunday morning discovered the body of a 21-year-old man floating in a Burbank flood control channel, police said.

After receiving a call about 10 a.m., police found the body of John Martinez of Burbank in the foot-deep water of the Los Angeles River near Olive Avenue and Flower Street, said Burbank Police Detective Pat Lynch. He said the boy, whose name was not disclosed, found the corpse and called someone else to the scene, who then called police.

Police are treating the death as a homicide, although the cause of death has not yet been determined by the Los Angeles County coroner’s office, Lynch said. He would not elaborate. “We’re just trying to run everything down,” Lynch said.