The man whose unclothed body was discovered facedown in the tide pools of Shell Beach on Monday is a local resident, police said, but his name was being withheld so his family could be notified.
The man is described as Hispanic, in his late 30s to 40s and weighing close to 300 pounds, officials at the scene said.
He was discovered with only shoes on about noon after a construction worker notified police when he saw the body.
The man’s wallet and shorts were found among the rocks below Vista Del Mar Avenue, an area about 400 yards south of where the body was found at the end of Park Place, police said.
The tide pools are below a group of homes.
The man’s death was ruled suspicious, Cmdr. Jake Miller of the Pismo Beach Police Department said, because the body had signs of trauma.
Miller would not say what the trauma was but added that the discovery doesn’t rule out suicide, accidental death or homicide. An autopsy will determine the cause of death, officials said.
It is not uncommon to find bodies unclothed after being in the ocean, Miller said, because tide conditions can be harsh at times.
Officials were not sure how long the body had been at the location where it was discovered, as it was high tide in the morning and it could have been submerged, Miller said.
However, the body could have been in the water up to 12 hours, Miller added. The temperature of the water was in the lows 50s, Miller said.
It was unclear if the body washed ashore or if it entered the water where it was found, Miller said. Ocean currents there come from the north and south.
Authorities circulated the man’s description to other agencies in the region to compare to missing person reports. No matches were made Monday, police said.
The man is not George Carpenter, the 74-year-old San Luis Obispo resident who was last seen Wednesday, officials said.
SanLuisObispo.com is happy to provide a forum for reader interaction, discussion, feedback and reaction to our stories. However, we reserve the right to delete inappropriate comments or ban users who can't play nice. See our full terms of service here.
Here are some rules of the road:
You should also know that The Tribune does not screen comments before they are posted. You are more likely to see inappropriate comments before our staff does, so we ask that you click the "report abuse" button to submit those comments for moderator review. You also may notify us via email at webmaster@thetribunenews.com. Note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us the profile name of the user who made the comment. Remember, comment moderation is subjective. You may find some material objectionable that we won't and vice versa.
If you submit a comment, the username of your account will appear along with it. Users cannot remove their own comments once they have submitted them, but you may ask our staff to retract one of your comments by sending an email to webmaster@thetribunenews.com. Again, make sure you note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us your profile name.
Be the first to know what's going on in San Luis Obispo County. Just tell us how you want to find out — we'll take care of the rest.
Sign up for breaking news alerts from SanLuisObispo.com and get the latest news sent to your cell phone via text message.
By signing up for alerts from this site, you are signing up for a program that may include up to 5 SMS text alert(s) per alert category per day. There is no service fee charged per month but your carrier's standard text messaging and other charges may apply. You may stop this subscription service at any time by sending the text message "STOP" to 72737. You must be at least thirteen (13) years of age to use our alert services. If you are between 13 and 17 years old, you agree that you have received parental permission both to complete the registration process and to receive SMS content on your cell phone. For help, send the text message "HELP" to 72737. This service will work with ATT, Verizon, Sprint, Nextel, Alltell, US Cellular, Cincinnati Bell, Boost, Virgin Mobile USA, Celluar South, Telos, Centennial, East Kentucky Network, Cellcom, Immix and Rural Celluar.
E-mail »
Twitter »
Facebook »
iTribune »
Subscribe »
RSS »
About comments
Reader comments on SanLuisObispo.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Tribune. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.