LAGUNA BEACH : Man’s Body Found Near Bike Trail
The body of an unidentified man was discovered about noon Monday by two mountain bikers high in the brush-covered hills above Laguna Canyon Road.
Police said the victim, believed to be about 40 years old, was found face down beside a bicycle trail at the approach to a reservoir about 200 yards southeast of the road in the 20000 block of Laguna Canyon Road.
“It was lonely up there and seemed like the perfect spot to drop somebody off,” said Rick Seapin, a police investigator who spent the afternoon canvassing the area in search of clues.
There were several bruises, including a black eye, and a bloody nose on the face of the victim, who was wearing blue jeans, tennis shoes and a blue short-sleeve pullover shirt, said Sgt. Ray Lardie.
David Busby, 21, who along with a friend discovered the body, said they initially believed they had come upon “a man who was drunk, sleeping in the bushes.
“We yelled at him to wake up but then we saw that he wasn’t breathing,” Busby said. “I just couldn’t believe it.”
The cause of death is under investigation by the county coroner’s office and is being considered a homicide, Lardie said.
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