Police have identified the badly decomposed human remains found inside a plastic drum floating in Chula Vista's marina last month.
According to investigators, a completed autopsy determined the remains are those of Chula Vista resident Omar Medina, 28.
Chula Vista Police Department (CVPD) acting Capt. Eric Thunberg said Wednesday that the investigation is ongoing and no further details will be released at this point. It's been seven weeks since the discovery of Medina's remains; no arrests have been made in the case.
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On Oct. 12, a diver spotted a plastic barrel with a hazard tag and a wireline attached to it, floating in the water off J Street and Marina Parkway. He called harbor police to report the object, saying he was concerned that it could be a navigational hazard.
When police pulled the barrel to the shore, they made a grisly discovery: a body was inside, so badly decomposed that the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office said the remains could take a while to identify.
The barrel appeared to be tied down with cement blocks. Police believe a metal chain may have also weighed it down before it broke loose and surfaced at the marina. Police said there was no rust on the barrel, so it was likely in the water for only a few days before it was discovered.
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