Los Gatos Weekly-Times Body found off Bear Creek could be a homicide victim By Jeff Kearns A badly decomposed body found along Bear Creek Road is apparently that of a 17- to 20-year-old male, according to preliminary reports from the Santa Cruz County coroner. The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's office has begun a homicide investigation that will probably include the Santa Clara County Sheriff's department. The body was discovered at about 2 p.m. on Dec. 27 at a turnout on Bear Creek Road about eight miles west of Boulder Creek, according to Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Deputy Kim Allyn. An Oregon man and his three sons taking in the view made the gruesome discovery when they smelled a very strong odor and noticed what looked like a set of human remains at the bottom of a steep embankment, and called the authorities. The autopsy began on Dec. 29, but it is expected to take several days because the body is in an advanced state of decomposition, Allyn said. The coroner's office will X-ray the body and try to get a positive identification by using dental records. Officials are looking for signs of trauma that may indicate the cause of death, and for jewelry or scars that could help them identify the body. Allyn says that the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's homicide unit has already begun checking missing persons reports from around the region for possible matches. "It appears from evidence at the scene that the victim was not killed at the scene," said Sgt. Joe Cervantes of the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's office. The body was partially covered by refuse. Officials say the remote area is a common dump site for murder victims. "That area is popular for disposal of homicide victims from the Santa Clara Valley area," Allyn said. "They'll dump bodies anywhere up there." In April, Los Gatos police arrested a 42-year-old Fremont man who allegedly killed his wife and dumped her body on a hillside near Highway 17 about 500 yards across the Santa Cruz County line. CHP officers found the man on the shoulder of Highway 17 in Los Gatos with blood in the bed of his pickup truck. [ Back to Contents Page | Los Gatos Weekly-Times Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, January 6, 1999. ©1998 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.