Body Is Found After Deputies Fail

Riverside County sheriff’s officials are investigating why deputies failed to find the body of a UC Irvine student near the spot where his car crashed into a ditch outside Norco on Sunday morning. His parents found the body, more than 10 hours after deputies left the scene.

“The sheriff is going to conduct a comprehensive review of the entire incident to look at all the actions that were taken,” said sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Earl Quinata. “We are dealing with the loss of a loved one here, and we want to make sure we do everything to correct for any future situation.”

The parents of 18-year-old James Walsh said they were angry and confused about why their son had not been found sooner, and wonder whether he could have survived had deputies succeeded in their search.

Rick and Jeannette Walsh of Corona said they followed a debris trail from the crash site to their son’s body in the brush less than 15 feet away.

“No parent should have to find their own child lying in a ditch,” Jeannette Walsh said at her home Tuesday afternoon, her trembling hands steadied by her husband. “I can’t get that picture out of my head.”

Sheriff’s officials summoned an independent medical examiner from Los Angeles to perform the autopsy and determine the time and cause of death. The Riverside County coroner’s agency is part of the Sheriff’s Department, which creates a potential conflict of interest, authorities said.

“We just wanted to make sure the autopsy was handled independently because of the circumstances surrounding this case,” Quinata said.

Results from the preliminary autopsy are expected to be released today, Quinata said.

Two deputies and a community service officer arrived at the crash scene after a passerby called 911 about 1:15 a.m. Sunday, Quinata said.

Deputies found the 2001 Oldsmobile Alero upright in a ditch near the road. The windshield and front driver’s window were shattered, and there was significant damage to the body of the car, Quinata said.

The cause of the crash was under investigation Tuesday.

Deputies checked the area immediately surrounding the car, and the road, for anyone who might have been walking away from the accident, Quinata said. Protocol does not require deputies to immediately notify the registered owner -- in this case, the parents -- when an accident occurs, he said. After investigating for a couple of hours, deputies left the scene.

“They towed the vehicle and stowed it at a local tow yard,” Quinata said.

When day broke Sunday and James had not come home, the parents said they began leaving messages on his cellphone and calling his friends. With no result, they called the Sheriff’s Department and six hospitals.

Hours later, Rick Walsh said, deputies told him his son’s car had been towed and gave him the name of the tow company. The tow truck operator told the Walshes there had been an accident and where it happened, he said.

The panic-stricken parents, joined by a family friend, rushed to the scene.

There, they said, they found their son cold and bruised, lying face down in plain sight with his driver’s license mysteriously placed on his back, Rick Walsh said. The Walshes called 911, and a passerby who was a nurse stopped and examined James Walsh’s body but did not detect a pulse.

“He was just lying there and I just wanted to pick him up.... I wanted him to just wake up,” Rick Walsh said tearfully.

Deputies were called back to the scene about 2:45 p.m. after the parents found the body, Quinata said.

“There are just so many unanswered questions, so many mistakes and omissions, [a] lack of effort,” Rick Walsh said.

A local soccer website mourned the loss of a young man who was a player, body surfer and high school track star, someone whose 100-watt smile reflected what his family said was a zest for life.

A computer engineering major and member of the UC Irvine track team, James Walsh lived with his parents and commuted to school. He would have turned 19 on June 7.

“We shouldn’t be looking at a picture; we should be looking at him,” Rick Walsh said.

In April last year, a 5-year-old girl was found alive beside the body of her mother nine days after their car plunged into a ravine off Highway 60.

The girl’s family has recently sued the California Highway Patrol, state Department of Transportation and Indio police. The suit alleges hazardous conditions and an inadequate search.