Man Reported Missing In Indio Found Dead In Imperial County

INDIO, CA - A 33-year-old man who went missing in Indio amid suspicious circumstances was found dead, authorities said Saturday morning.

Jessie Mendivel was last heard from Sept. 22 by his aunt who said he sent several text messages "that sounded like he was distraught," according to the Indio Police Department.

On Friday, police were contacted by the Imperial County Sheriff's Office, who reported Mendivel's body had been located about 10:30 a.m. by a U.S. Border Patrol Search and Rescue helicopter unit in an open desert area near the cities of Brawley and Westmoreland.

The sheriff's office confirmed the person found was Mendivel and will handle the investigation into his death.

The Indio Police Department extended its "sincere condolences" to the family of friends of Mendival.

—City News Service