Narcotics Officer’s Body Found Off San Clemente

The cause of death of a Rialto narcotics officer pulled from the ocean south of San Clemente State Beach remains a mystery, Orange County sheriff’s investigators said Thursday.

Matthew Huddleston, 37, was an avid diver, but did not leave behind any sporting equipment or note that could help investigators learn what drew him to the water, said department spokesman Jim Amormino.

Three fishermen found Huddleston’s body early Wednesday afternoon about a half-mile south of the pier, Amormino said.

“It looked like the body was in the water a day or two,” he said, and had no visible injuries.

Investigators used fingerprints to identify him, Amormino said.

His white 2002 Ford Explorer was found in a parking lot near the beach.

Coroner’s officials performed an autopsy Thursday but said it could be weeks before a cause of death is known.

Huddleston is survived by his wife, Linda, who is pregnant with the couple’s first child, a Rialto police official said.