Teen Boy's Body Found in Park Pond

San Diego police said a teenage boy was found dead in a pond at Otay Valley Regional Park on Friday, May 15, after family members and church members searching for him alerted officers near Beyer Boulevard. The San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office identified him on Monday as Julian Nahum Guerrero Vasquez, 15. Authorities have not announced a cause of death. The San Diego Police Department said the circumstances that led to his death remain under investigation. ### Who was the boy found in the pond? The San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the boy as Julian Nahum Guerrero Vasquez, 15, on Monday morning, according to Fox 5 San Diego and CBS 8. Fox 5 reported that Guerrero Vasquez had been reported missing from the nearby Palm City area the day before his body was found. Palm City family members and friends told local media they had been searching for him since Thursday morning. (fox5sandiego.com) Fox 5 reported that those close to Guerrero Vasquez said they were worried for his safety because he had severe autism and had last been seen by family around midnight Thursday. ### Where was he found, and when did police respond? Fenton Pond in Otay Valley Regional Park was where responders found Guerrero Vasquez partially submerged, according to Fox 5. (fox5sandiego.com) The station reported that San Diego police and lifeguards responded at 11:41 a.m. Friday and pronounced him dead at the scene. The 2100 block of Beyer Boulevard was where family and church members searching the area alerted officers to a body floating in the pond, Fox 5 reported, citing the San Diego Police Department. (fox5sandiego.com) NBC 7 reported the body was recovered by San Diego Fire-Rescue divers near a trail that led down to the water. ### What have police said about how he died? The San Diego Police Department said the cause and circumstances of Guerrero Vasquez’s death are still under investigation. (fox5sandiego.com) Fox 5 reported that officers at the scene said they did not see signs of physical trauma when he was pulled from the water. San Diego County’s Medical Examiner says on its public information pages that reports can remain pending while investigators complete autopsy, investigative and toxicology work. (fox5sandiego.com) The office says completed reports are generally available after the cause of death is determined and a death certificate is filed. ### Was another body found in the same park? Otay Valley Regional Park was also the site of a second death investigation on Friday, according to NBC 7 and ABC 10News. (fox5sandiego.com) NBC 7 reported that first responders received one call about a body on the Chula Vista side of Beyer Boulevard and another call minutes later about a body near the water on the San Diego side. (sandiegocounty.gov) Chula Vista police found the body of a man in his 60s in the nearby area, Fox 5 reported. San Diego police told local outlets the two deaths did not appear to be related. ### What do family members say happened before the discovery? Julian Guerrero was last seen by his mother near the family’s home around 1 a.m. before he disappeared, NBC 7 reported. The station said neighbors and friends joined the search, and a family friend, Cecilia Rubalcaba, said police later showed Julian’s mother a picture of the child recovered from the pond. (nbcsandiego.com) (fox5sandiego.com) NBC 7 reported that relatives said a homeless man had been seen riding the teen’s bicycle and that information led searchers and police toward the area where the body was eventually found. That account came from family members and has not been separately confirmed by police in the reports reviewed. ### What happens next in the investigation? (nbcsandiego.com) The San Diego Police Department said detectives are continuing to investigate the cause and circumstances of the death. The San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office said copies of completed reports can be requested from the office after the investigation is finished and the cause of death is determined. (fox5sandiego.com) (nbcsandiego.com)