Body Found Off Ortega Identified
A man whose body was found burned beyond recognition in the Cleveland National Forest last week was identified Monday as Alvin E. Stotler Jr., 49, of Murietta, an Orange County sheriff’s spokesman said.
The cause of death has not been determined, but it is being investigated as a homicide, Lt. William Francis said.
The body was found Friday at 11:15 a.m. by firefighters who had been battling two small brush fires. It was covered by leaves and brush and lay near the foundation of a dilapidated stone cabin, Francis said.
The cabin is one of five off the Ortega Highway at 18 Severs Canyon Road, 13 miles north of San Juan Capistrano. The cabins are owned by the U.S. Forest Service.
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