Homicide investigators are investigating the death of a man whose body was found in the sand near Mission Beach Wednesday morning.
NBC 7 was at the scene reporting on post-Fourth of July beach cleanup when several transients alerted our crew of a possible body on the sand. An NBC 7 photojournalist called 911 after confirming there was an unresponsive individual at Bonita Cove Park.
San Diego News
The San Diego Police Department (SDPD) responded to the scene and declared the man dead upon their arrival. A cause of death has not been revealed and it is unclear how long the body had been there.
Get top local stories in San Diego delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC San Diego's News Headlines newsletter.
“At this point, all we know is there appears to be some type of confrontation that occurred somewhere in the overnight hours here at Bonita Cove Park," Lt. Stephen Shebloski said, adding the confrontation may have involved a group.
Homicide investigators arrived at the scene and learned that the victim was involved in a physical confrontation with a group of five to six men and women in their late teens to early twenties. It appears the victim was beaten and stabbed during the confrontation, detectives said.
Detectives were searching the scene for physical evidence and attempting to locate surveillance video and attempting to locate any witnesses.
The man, who police said was estimated to be in his late 40s or mid-50s, was undressed from the waist down and had cuts on his torso as well as injuries on his face and head. Police said the victim appeared to be an unsheltered individual.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to call the Homicide Unit at (619) 531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.
