Morgan Hill Landscape Worker Finds Body, But It Isn’t Missing High School Girl’s Remains
On Thursday, a landscaping crew made the grisly discovery of a dead body. Police in Morgan Hill, California, say a landscape worker found the human corpse in a Cochrane Circle-area field in the early morning hours, according to a CBS Local news report.
Although the mortal remains discovered by the landscapers have not been identified, authorities have ruled out the deceased being Sierra LaMar, a high school cheerleader who went missing in 2012 and is presumed dead.
Sgt. Ray Ramos with the Morgan Hill Police Department and Santa Clara prosecutors were called to the scene after receiving a 911 dispatch. Apparently, a landscape worker found a body that was partially concealed by an overgrowth of shrubs and other foliage.
PHOTO: SKY7 HD over Morgan Hill police investigation of a body that was found near Cochran and Monterey Roads. pic.twitter.com/lrJEua8Cze
— ABC7 News (@abc7newsBayArea) May 7, 2015
According to the condition of the body, it had been there for “quite a while,” Ramos told reporters. According to the county coroner’s office, the body is that of a Caucasian man of middle age.
When word got out to the local community that Morgan Hill landscapers found a dead body, worried residents wondered if Sierra had finally been found. According to a previous report by the Inquisitr, Lamar vanished without a trace on March 16, 2012. She was last seen walking to Ann Sobrato High School — only three blocks from where a landscape worker in Morgan Hill found the male’s dead body.
UPDATE: Body found near Cochran & Monterey Roads in Morgan Hill is that of an adult male, police confirm http://t.co/x1q2K7q1gZ — ABC7 News (@abc7newsBayArea) May 7, 2015
Locals held a vigil and joined together for an area-wide search for the missing teen, to no avail. Although her body was never found, prosecutors believed they had enough probable cause to arrest Antolin Garcia-Torres for her disappearance. He is currently held in a local jail until his trial begins.
The teen’s parents reluctantly called off the search for their daughter last month. It ends a long chapter in their life of holding out for good news that their beloved would return home or her remains would be found for a decent burial. Last month, Sierra’s dad, Steve Lamar, addressed throngs of volunteers who took part in the search.
“It’s hard for us to do this. We’ve kind of become a big family. It’s sad, but we have so much thanks to all the people who have been helping us for the past three years.”
Officials have not determined the cause of death in this latest discovery of a dead body by a landscape worker in Morgan Hill. That said, it’s unclear if a crime was committed or the man died from natural causes.
[Photo by David McNew/Getty Images]
