Body Found in Trash Bin Was That of Dana Point Man

Police have identified the decomposed body found in a recycling bin in Santa Ana earlier this week as that of George Nehring of Dana Point.

Nehring, 47, had been on his way to pick up some papers in Santa Ana and then see a doctor in Mission Viejo at 11 a.m. on March 7 when he disappeared, police said. His roommate, Jackie Donofrio, reported him missing on March 9.

Almost a month later, a passerby reported a strange odor in the parking lot of Sano Medical Center in Santa Ana and called police.

“We just found him in a trash can,” said Bob Clark, spokesman for Santa Ana police, who added that the bin was out of place.

Serial numbers revealed that the recycling container belonged on the 1300 block of South Broadway, he said. Nehring’s wallet was still in his possession, and it did not appear to have been rifled, Clark said. Police also discovered Nehring’s car in a residential area about a block away.

“Whatever the cause of death was, it doesn’t look like it was attributed to robbery or anything like that,” Clark said.

An autopsy revealed no signs of trauma, but police are continuing to investigate the case as a homicide while they await further test results.

“We still haven’t been able to determine a cause of death because of the decomposition of the body,” Clark said. “There was no obvious indication of trauma . . . so they’re waiting for a toxicological report.”

The drug and poison screening tests could take about six weeks, Clark said.