Muddy Body Identified, Considered Homicide
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A body found this week on Laguna Canyon Road was identified Thursday as that of Juan Diaz Morales, a Laguna Beach day laborer, authorities said.
The death of Morales, 25, is being considered a homicide, said Sgt. Bob Rahaeuser of the Laguna Beach Police Department.
A local businessman found Morales’ body covered in mud Tuesday afternoon off the shoulder of the road in the 2300 block of Laguna Canyon.
Morales had sustained severe head injuries that appeared to have been inflicted with a blunt object, Rahaeuser said. The Orange County coroner’s office determined those injuries were the cause of death.
Morales was last seen at 9 p.m. Friday on Laguna Canyon Road, police said. The coroner estimated that Morales had died sometime between then and Sunday.
Police ask that anyone with information about the case contact Laguna Beach Investigator Lou Gutierrez at (949) 497-0371.
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