News crew discovers woman’s body in creek while filming Central Coast storm damage

A woman’s body was found Monday morning in Mission Creek in Santa Barbara, but it is not known who she is or how she died, according to the Santa Barbara Police Department.

Detectives were on scene — near Bath and Cota streets — along with city fire crews and personnel from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Coroner’s Bureau, Sgt. Ethan Ragsdale said Monday morning.

He added that the situation remained an “active investigation.”

The body was entangled in trees off the bank of the creek. It was mostly unclothed and the victim had no identification, Ragsdale said.

“It’s going to be a while before we figure out who she was and how she died,” he said.

On Monday afternoon, Ragsdale said the case is an active investigation and “foul play is not suspected at this time.”

A CBS news crew covering the major storm that hit the region overnight discovered the body in the creek, wedged against a tree, at about 9 a.m., city Fire Chief Chris Mailes told Noozhawk.

Storm-related problems were reported throughout the city and the county, and most were relatively minor.

“But the death is a game changer,” Mailes said. “As first responders, we always worry about life safety first.”

By late morning, the victim’s remains had been removed from the creek, but had not yet been turned over to the coroner.

Mailes noted that the creek level already had receded about 3 feet from its peak by the time the victim was discovered.

It’s not known where or how she entered the water.

Check back with Noozhawk for updates to this story.

This story was originally published February 20, 2024 at 1:42 PM with the headline "News crew discovers woman’s body in creek while filming Central Coast storm damage."