Apparent drowning victim was from Gilroy
Morgan Hill – The man who was found dead last Wednesday floating face down in Uvas Reservoir has been identified.
According to the Santa Clara County Coroner’s Office the body has been identified as Saul Jimenez, 20, of Gilroy.
It is not clear why there was a delay in releasing the name of the man. A representative from the coroner’s office would not comment.
According to Santa Clara County sheriff’s spokesman Serg Palanov, Jimenez may have been going for a swim in the reservoir, which is prohibited.
He was wearing blue shorts that could have been swim trunks, and a pile of clothing was found on the bank approximately 20 feet from where his body floated on the surface.
A representative of the Santa Clara County Coroner’s Office said Monday the cause of death was not being released Monday and noted that the death is still under investigation.
Palanov said when the body was found that it appeared to have been in the water for a few days. An older model Toyota Corolla was abandoned in the parking lot of the public boat ramp and had apparently been in the parking lot for several days. Palanov said the vehicle may have been the one Jimenez was driving.
Palanov said no life guard is on duty at the reservoir, which is one reason swimming is not allowed.
Jimenez was found when two men fishing on the lake noticed the clothing and several empty beer cans lying on the shore and decided to investigate.
Marilyn Dubil covers education and law enforcement for The Times. Reach her at (408) 779-4106 ext. 202 or at md****@mo*************.com.
