Body of Man Found in Ravine
Caltrans workers on Monday found the body of a Mission Viejo man whose truck apparently careened off of Ortega Highway, smashed into the side of a bluff and tumbled to the bottom of the ravine more than a week ago.
The man, 35-year-old Raymond Joseph Moell, may have been dead for as many as eight days but his truck and his body were not visible from the highway, Senior Deputy Coroner Rick McAnally said.
“It appears that he crawled out of the truck after the accident because he was found underneath the truck,” McAnally said.
“Based on the circumstances as a whole, we think he had been there for quite some time,” McAnally said. “Family members told our investigator that Moell was on his way to a friend’s house eight days ago and that he would have taken Ortega Highway. The lunch his mother had made him for the trip was still in the truck.”
McAnally said investigators confirmed Moell’s identity through fingerprints.
The ravine where the man’s body was found was about 15 miles east of Interstate 5. CHP officials said they believe that Moell lost control of his small pickup truck as he was traveling east along a winding, hilly section of the two-lane highway.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
