Police investigating after crew lifts manhole cover in Mission Valley, find body

San Diego police are investigating after maintenance crew lifted a manhole cover and found a badly decomposed body, a department official said Friday.

The crew made the discovery while working on Northside Drive south of Friars Road about 9:30 a.m. Thursday, police homicide Lt. Jud Campbell said in a news release.

“Essentially, maintenance workers for the property opened a manhole cover to a storm drain and discovered a dead body,” Campbell said.

The body was at the bottom of a small concrete area used for cleaning the storm drain, he said. The workers immediately called police.

Based on the “unusual location” and after consulting with the county Medical Examiner’s Office, homicide detectives were called in to investigate.

Campbell said the body appears to be male, but nothing else — age, race, or other details — can be determined until an identification is made. It is not clear how the person died.

Anyone with information about this incident was asked to call the Homicide Unit at (619) 531-2293. Anonymous tips can be left by calling Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477 or going online at sdcrimestoppers.org.