The body discovered last Wednesday near Malibu Hindu Temple has been identified as 52-year-old Francisco Reynaldo Cruz, according to a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office.
Cruz, a Los Angeles resident, was pronounced dead at the scene at 12:20 p.m. He was found unresponsive in a drainage ditch in the 1600 block of Las Virgenes Road, where the Malibu Hindu Temple is located.
A passerby discovered the body and reported it to the Lost Hills/Malibu Sheriff’s Station at 11:43 a.m. Wednesday, May 16.
An autopsy report revealed that Cruz had died from “sharp force injuries” to the chest and neck, as well as from a “blunt force injury to the head.” According to the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, “sharp force injuries are injuries caused by a sharp/pointed object such as stab wounds or incised wounds.”
The spokesperson said the death was “ruled a homicide.” Investigators are still looking into the incident.
“He was not killed at that location. He was dropped there,” LA County Sheriff’s Department Lt. Scott Hoglund said in a phone call with The Malibu Times.
It’s not clear how long the body was in the drainage ditch.
Editor’s note: This news brief has been updated to include comments from Lt. Scott Hoglund.