Body found near Highway 101 in Santa Maria

For the second time in a week, California Highway Patrol officers in northern Santa Barbara County were investigating an unusual incident on Thursday after a man was found dead near Highway 101.

At 9:53 a.m., CHP dispatchers received a call about a body on the right shoulder of the Donovan Road offramp from southbound Highway 101, at the north end of Santa Maria, Officer Benjamin Smith said.

Officers found a Hispanic male deceased near the perimeter fence on the freeway side and under a tree, Smith added.

Officers interviewed the person on scene who located the body and determined he was not involved, Smith said.

The investigation was continuing, but officials do not believe the incident involved a homicide.

On the morning of Sept. 26, CHP officers from Buellton began investigating after a man was found dead near Highway 246 and Sweeney Road, just east of Lompoc

Investigators were trying to determine if the 34-year-old man had been struck and killed in a possible hit-and-run collision.

The names of the two men were released pending notification of family members, authorities said.