Body Found in Bushes Is Identified
Police Thursday identified a body that had been found in a clump of bushes at the bottom of an embankment.
A group of teen-agers found the body of Harold Wayne Hughes, 37, of Anaheim at about 7 p.m. Wednesday in the area of Skyline Drive and Acacia Avenue, police said.
The liquor store worker had apparently been shot in the head, then fell down a 30-foot embankment, Sgt. Danny Becerra said.
Investigators said Hughes was last seen about 3 p.m. Tuesday leaving his home in the 6500 block of Via Estrada, which he shares with his mother and two brothers.
Hughes reportedly did not return that night or report to work for his 6 p.m.-to-2 a.m. shift at Ladd Liquor in Santa Ana, store clerk Abraham Setayesh said.
Family members notified Anaheim police that Hughes was missing, at about the same time his body was found, Becerra said.
Newport Beach police then found Hughes’ car parked on Bay Street on Balboa Island about 3 a.m. Thursday.
Police are seeking help from anyone knowing of Hughes’ whereabouts since he disappeared. Investigators can be reached at (714) 738-6776.
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