The identity of a man found dead in Thermal on Saturday afternoon with traumatic injuries is still uncertain as the Riverside County Sheriff's Department calls upon the public to help solve this mystery.
Sgt. Richard Carroll said in a department news release that Thermal Station deputies responded to a call at 3:23 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 21, regarding the discovery of a dead man found on the 67900 block of Nina Drive in the unincorporated area of Thermal. Desert Sun reports that Nina Drive may actually be Nena Drive, an area abounding in farmland.
According to Carroll in the news release, the deputies "observed traumatic injuries" and then confirmed the victim was deceased. They established a crime scene and launched an investigation, which was then assumed by the Central Homicide Unit, the release said.
The deceased could not be identified, and so consequently, the Sheriff's Department has reached out to the public, as it frequently does, for potential leads.
Those with information on the death, the man's identity or perhaps video capturing the incident are urged to contact Central Homicide Investigator Trudeau at 951-955-2777. No further details have been provided by the Sheriff's Department at this time.
Since the case has gone to the Central Homicide Unit, Desert Sun reports that this may be the first murder this year in Coachella Valley.