Deputies identify body found in canal

  Deputies have identified the body of a man found floating in a canal Tuesday morning as a Somerton resident.

  The victim has been identified as 48-year-old Robert Coronado.  According to Capt. Eben Bratcher of the Yuma County Sheriff's Office, the official cause of death has been determined to be drowning.

  Bratcher said the sheriff's office was contacted by a health-care provider who "said it sounded like an individual who had left one of their facilities the day before. They were then able to provide some additional information about him that established his identity, such as identifying some of his tattoos."

  The health-care provider put the sheriff's office in contact with family members, who positively identified the victim.

   On Tuesday morning at about 6:44 a.m., deputies were dispatched to the vicinity of Avenue 1E and County 14th Street in reference to a deceased person in a canal.

   When deputies arrived, the body had been removed from the canal by Yuma Mesa Irrigation District workers.

  The body was described as a Hispanic male adult, in his late 30s to early 40s and dressed in a white T-shirt, blue shorts and one Nike tennis shoe. He was approximately 5 feet 6 inches tall, 225 pounds with short black hair and a mustache.

  The drowning occurred in the 89 West Lateral Canal. Bratcher said the sheriff's office is still awaiting toxicology reports.

  He added that deputies are unsure as to how Coronado ended up in the canal.

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James Gilbert can be reached at jgilbert@yumasun.com or 539-6854.