Tentative ID on Man Found Dead in Flood Control Channel in Banning

Investigators have made a tentative identification of a man found deceased Oct. 5 in a flood control channel in the 600 block of West Lincoln Street in Banning.

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

The coroner's department indicated this week the man's next of kin has been notified, though his identity was "pending confirmation," and he was still listed as an unidentified adult male.

It was not clear how long the body had been there, but the remains were decomposed to a degree, Banning Police Chief Leonard 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.

Autopsy results were pending, according to the coroner.

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.