Transient found dead near Hopland

<p>A transient was found dead at his encampment near the Russian River in Hopland late Friday afternoon, authorities said.</p><p>The 57-year-old Sonoma County man has been identified through a driver’s license, but authorities are not releasing his name because they haven’t been able to find next of kin, Mendocino County sheriff’s Sgt. Jim Van Hagen said Saturday.</p><p>Hopland firefighters found the man dead around 4:30 p.m. Friday after civilians alerted authorities, Van Hagen said.</p><p>There were no signs of foul play, though the man’s cause of death had not been determined Saturday.</p><p>Emergency medical personnel recognized him from previous contacts in the Cloverdale area, but it appeared he had lived in the encampment for a lengthy period, Van Hagen said.</p><p>-- Mary Callahan</p>