LA HABRA : Body of Bludgeoning Victim Found in Field

The body of a 52-year-old La Habra man who had been bludgeoned to death was found in a field near a stretch of railroad tracks, police said Thursday.

A passerby spotted the body of Jose Negrete about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday in a grassy railroad right of way north of Lambert Road near Harbor Boulevard, Police Sgt. Phil Stufflebean said.

Negrete appears to have died “as a result of blunt trauma to the head,” Stufflebean said. “He was bludgeoned with some blunt object.”

Stufflebean said it appears Negrete was killed within 24 hours of the time his body was found. An autopsy was scheduled for Thursday.

Negrete was known to La Habra police for “minor arrests” involving alcohol, Stufflebean said.