Deputies recover body from canal
The Yuma County Sheriff's Office has recovered the body of a man from a recently-drained canal near the 5200 block of Power Lane.
Deputies responded to the area at about 7:21 a.m. on Tuesday and found the man lying face down, with no apparent injuries. Deputies also observed that the man matched the description of a person who was being sought for trying to steal a vehicle earlier the same morning.
“Further investigation confirmed that the deceased subject was in fact the suspect in the earlier incident, which involved an attempted robbery and theft of a vehicle,” said Capt. Eben Bratcher, YCSO spokesman.
Bratcher explained that earlier in the morning, at about 3:51 a.m., deputies responded to a residence in the 6900 block of West Strand Avenue, after a man reported he had been assaulted by someone who he caught trying to steal his vehicle.
According to Bratcher, the victim said he had been awoken by the sounds of his vehicle engine revving and went outside to investigate. He told deputies that once he was outside, he found a man sitting in the driver seat of his vehicle revving the engine and trying to drive off.
“The vehicle was up on jacks because the owner had been working on it,” Bratcher said. “He hears his car, goes outside and finds this guy sitting in the driver's seat, revving the engine and trying to drive off in it.”
According to Bratcher, when the victim opened the passenger door to his car to confront the man, he was immediately struck in the head by a thrown object. A struggle between the victim and the man ensued, with the man ultimately fleeing the scene on foot. Responding deputies searched the area for the suspect without success.
Bratcher said it is not known how or why the man got into the five-foot deep canal, where he was later found deceased. The cause of death has not been determined yet and is pending results from the medical examiners office, which includes toxicology results.
The deceased man has not yet been identified but is described as a large build man between 30-40 years old.
“The problem is, we don't know who he is because he didn't have any identification,” Bratcher said.
Anyone with any information concerning either incident is asked to contact YCSO at 783-4427.
James Gilbert can be reached at jgilbert@yumasun.com or 539-6854. Find him on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/YSJamesGilbert or on Twitter @YSJamesGilbert.
