Body Found In Banning Drainage Ditch Spurs Investigation

BANNING, CA — The body of a dead man was found in a drainage ditch near downtown Banning on Wednesday, authorities said.

Officials received a call about the remains of a man in the area just before 5 p.m., the Banning Police Department wrote in a statement. Detectives are working to determine what happened to the man, whose identity has not been released pending notification of next of kin.

According to Lt. Brandon Smith of the department, no additional information will be available until an autopsy is performed.

"The condition of the remains makes it difficult to answer those questions with any certainty," Smith wrote in an email to Patch. "As soon as we have more information, I will provide an updated release."

Patrol officers and the Detective Bureau, along with Riverside County Sheriff’s Forensics Team and Coroner’s Bureau, are investigating the circumstances behind the man's death.