Hunter Finds Man’s Body in Camp Pendleton Woods
Military officials launched a murder investigation Monday following the discovery of a body in a wooded section of Camp Pendleton.
Marine Corps spokeswoman Capt. Patricia Restrepo said a civilian found the body of an unidentified white man in his mid-20s Sunday morning. The civilian told authorities he was hunting in the woods near a firing range in the southern part of the Marine base when he discovered the body.
The body was taken to Balboa Hospital in San Diego County, where an autopsy was performed Sunday. Investigators did not release the cause of death, but will treat the death as a homicide until foul play is ruled out, Restrepo said.
Officers with Naval Investigative Criminal Services believe the body had been in the wooded area since Saturday morning.
Restrepo said civilians are allowed to hunt in the woods near the Wilcox Range, but must check in and check out with a game warden. She added that small-arms proficiency tests were conducted at the range Saturday and Sunday.
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