The badly decomposed body of an apparent suicide victim was found Wednesday afternoon in a ravine near Franceschi Park on the Riviera, according to the Santa Barbara Police Department.
A gardener working for a nearby property owner found the remains at about 3:45 p.m. after investigating a foul odor, Sgt. Riley Harwood said.
The body was found hanging from a tree, and is a likely suicide, Harwood said.
The victim was identified as Andres Rodriguez, 34, of Santa Barbara, according to Kelly Hoover, a spokeswoman for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department.
City police and firefighters responded to the scene off the 1400 block of Mission Ridge Road, Harwood said.
They remained on scene Wednesday evening, waiting for coroner’s investigators to arrive.
Cause of death was pending toxicology tests with the Coroner’s Office, Hoover said Friday.
— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at tbolton@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
