Investigators discovered a burned body in a field in San Bernardino after firefighters were called to the area, authorities said Tuesday.
The San Bernardino Fire Department responded to a report of a fire near Donald Street and Duffy Street around 10:30 p.m. Monday night, police said. The fire was behind a house that is the last in a row of homes along a residential street, with an open dirt field to one side of the house.
Officers responded and found burned human remains, said San Bernardino Police Sgt. Chris Gray. Police later confirmed the victim was male, and homicide detectives are now investigating.
“The victim tragically succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene,” the department said in a news release.
Police have not yet identified the victim.
Kenny Partida, who lives nearby, said he didn’t realize anything was wrong until after midnight, when investigators asked him if he had any surveillance footage he could share. He said his security camera wasn’t working at the time and he was scared when officers told him a body had been thrown into the field.
Another resident of the neighborhood, George Flores, said he was shocked when he heard a body had been found.
“That could have been my family or something, or me,” Flores said. “I just thought it was something burning, like someone threw a cigarette and it burned.”
Police have not released any further details while the investigation is ongoing.
