Man found dead under suspicious circumstances in East Village

SAN DIEGO (KUSI) – The body of an unidentified man who apparently died somewhere else was found in an East Village parking lot Friday.

The mysterious discovery in the 600 block of 16th Street was reported about 7:30 a.m., according to the San Diego Police Department.

Preliminary evidence suggested that the dead man, who appeared to be in his 50s or 60s, died in a different location and had been moved by car to the spot where he was found, SDPD Lt. Jud Campbell said.

The manner and circumstances of the death were unclear.

“He was fully clothed and had a cane near him,” the lieutenant said. “There were no obvious signs of trauma to his body.”

Due to the suspicious nature of the fatality, homicide detectives were called in to take charge of the case. The county Medical Examiner’s Office took custody of the body for autopsy and identification purposes.

“While police were at the scene, the vehicle used to transport the deceased male was located by patrol officers in the 1500 block of Commercial Street,” Campbell said. “A traffic stop was conducted.”

After being questioned, an occupant of the car, 62-year-old Timothy Martin, was arrested on suspicion of mishandling human remains.

Police did not disclose how they linked the vehicle Martin was in to the discovery of the body.