Buena Park : Cause of Transient’s Death Still Unknown
An autopsy Monday failed to immediately determine the cause of death of a 54-year-old transient who was found in a gully alongside the Riverside Freeway. Buena Park police said they would await further results from the coroner’s office to decide whether the man was murdered or died of natural causes.
Police identified the dead man as Frank Lalo Escalera. Officers said he had no permanent address and was living in the bushes along the freeway in Buena Park.
The fully clothed body was spotted by a passing motorist Sunday evening next to the Knott Avenue on-ramp. Officers said there were no visible signs that the man had been stabbed, shot or beaten, but his personal belongings were scattered about as if he had been involved in a struggle.
The dead man had been arrested by police last week for public drunkenness. Escalera was held in jail for several hours, then released, police said.
A spokesman for the Orange County coroner’s office said the cause of death may be determined by toxicological tests.
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