Man's Body Found in Flood Control Channel on West Lincoln in Banning

A man's body was found Wednesday in a flood control channel in the 600 block of West Lincoln Street in Banning, police said.

The gruesome discovery was reported to police at 12:03 p.m. Wednesday as "a dead body lying at the bottom of the flood control channel," Banning police said.

The unidentified deceased male appeared to be an adult, Banning Police Chief Leonard Purvis said in a phone interview.

It was not clear how long the body had been there, but the remains were decomposed to a degree, Purvis said.

It was not known how and when the man died, police said. The man may have been a transient, but the death was being scrutinized regardless of his status, Purvis said.

"We have investigators from various agencies looking at this to make sure all the bases are covered," Purvis said. "An autopsy is scheduled tomorrow."

In addition to the Banning police Detective Bureau, the case was being investigated by the Riverside County Coroner’s Office, the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office, and the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Forensic Unit.

Anyone with additional information about the man or his death was urged to contact the Detective Bureau at (951) 849-1196.