Body Found Near Dam Identified

A man found dead on the side of a secluded road in
unincorporated Morgan Hill Monday night has been identified, but
circumstances surrounding his death remain a mystery, as Santa
County Sheriff’s Office deputies work to piece together what
happened in the last hours of his life.
Morgan Hill – A man found dead on the side of a secluded road in unincorporated Morgan Hill Monday night has been identified, but circumstances surrounding his death remain a mystery, as Santa County Sheriff’s Office deputies work to piece together what happened in the last hours of his life.

According to Sgt. Ed Wise, the San Jose man’s name is not being released pending notification of his family. He said the autopsy has been completed, and the cause of his death is known, but is also not being released. Toxicology results will not be available for approximately six weeks.

First spotted about 9pm, the dead man was lying with his upper body on the side of the road in a ditch, his legs stretching into the narrow, tree-lined road behind Borello Farms near the intersection of Cochrane and Half roads and within a mile of the turn-off for Anderson Dam.

A 911 call brought California Highway Patrol Officers to the scene, believing they were responding to a crash, but they quickly realized they had arrived at a crime scene and notified Sheriff’s Office homicide investigators.

By Wednesday afternoon, the crime scene tape was removed from the area, which is yards away from sprawling homes, most of them set well-back on their lots away from the roadway, but the name of the man and his manner of death had not been discovered.

Wise gave sparse details about the victim, describing him only as a “likely Hispanic” man in his 50s or 60s, with no tattoos or distinctive scars. He declined to give the man’s height or weight, describe his hair or facial hair or on whether the man’s body was bruised or cut. He did say the man was not carrying identification.

California Highway Patrol spokesman Chris Armstrong said he had no information on the apparent murder.

Santa Clara County Coroner’s office representatives said they are still unable to release any information on the man’s identity or the cause of his death.

A source who saw the body said the man’s face had been battered, and his pants pulled down around his ankles.

Sgt. Dave Lera, a homicide detective with the Sheriff’s Office, said Wednesday that he could not confirm the man was murdered, but his death is being considered suspicious.

When asked if the apparent murder might be gang-related he said though it is early in the investigation, a gang connection is considered doubtful.

The winding stretch of Cochrane Road where the man’s body was found backs up onto Borello Farms, where ruby-red flats of tomatoes were drying this week in the sun. Neighbors from Cochrane Avenue homes perched on the hills above the crime scene were stunned to learn of the incident Tuesday, and said they’d heard no sirens, screams or fighting Monday night, only a swarm of helicopters hovering over the rural road.

One neighbor thought he might have seen the body lying in the ditch while driving home Monday night, but misconstrued it as a pile of clothes or a discarded carpet, possibly a wounded deer.

Lera said anyone who saw the man lying half in and half out of the narrow roadway Monday night or has any information about the victim or the incident is asked to call the Sheriff’s Office at 808-4500.