Sheriff’s Office: Man found dead near Highway 101 on-ramp in Mendocino County

The body of a man was found by a passerby Tuesday evening near a Highway 101 on-ramp in Ukiah, officials said Thursday.

A resident had noticed a man sitting beneath a tree Sunday near the intersection of North State Street and the northbound Highway 101 on-ramp, according to Lt. Quincy Cromer with the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office.

Two days later, the resident drove by the spot again and saw the man was still there, sitting in the same position.

They stopped to check on him and found he was dead, Cromer said. The resident then called 911, at 8:54 p.m., and officers were dispatched within minutes.

The man was located in a field about 100 yards east of the on-ramp. He was believed to be homeless because clothes and other possessions where found near him, Cromer said.

The body was not immediately identified due to its level of decomposition, which was hastened by days of 100-plus-degree heat, he said.

Though, officials did recover an ID card and bank cards on the man’s person.

The coroner’s office is currently using fingerprints identify him — a process that can take weeks, officials said. If that doesn’t work, Cromer said investigators will use dental records or DNA, which would take even longer.

An official cause of death may not be available for a few months, he said.

Cromer said there is no suspicion of foul play related to the man’s death.

Kathryn Styer Martínez is a reporting intern for the Press Democrat. She can be reached at kathryn.styermartinez@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5337.