Coroner’s personnel cover the body of a man found near the LA River in Long Beach this morning. Photos by Brittany Woolsey
UPDATE | A body found near the Los Angeles River in Long Beach this morning has been identified as that of Long Beach resident Greg Almodovar, who has been missing since last Tuesday, the Long Beach Police Department confirmed.
The body was discovered at about 7:16AM by Long Beach Police Department officers and was recovered by Los Angeles Department of Coroner personnel at about 11:45AM.
Almodovar was reported missing to the Long Beach Police Department on Wednesday by his brother, Jimmy Almodovar. Greg was last seen at about 9PM on December 3.
“The circumstances of his disappearance are unknown but suspicious,” the LBPD said in a statement Friday.
Last week, Jimmy was able to trace Greg’s phone to the area of 26th and Golden Ave., and found the phone inside Greg’s abandoned car. Greg’s body was found about a mile downriver from his car and phone.
“We used a spare key to get into the car, and found his phone inside the car,” Jimmy said. “When I started the car, I noticed the gas tank was very empty. He had just put $21 in his tank on Monday.”
9:43AM | Homicide detectives are working to determine the cause of death for a man whose body was found near the Los Angeles River in Long Beach this morning.
Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) officers discovered the body at about 7:15AM near Pacific Coast Highway, said LBPD spokeswoman Marlene Arrona. Long Beach Fire Department personnel recovered the body.
Officials could not confirm whether or not the body was that of Long Beach resident Greg Almodovar, who has been missing since last Tuesday. Almodovar’s abandoned car and cellphone were discovered near 26th and Golden last week, about a mile upriver from where the body was found.
The cause of death was not immediately known, said Assistant Chief Ed Winter of the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner. The man, who was in his 20s, was not immediately identified, pending notification of next of kin.
City News Service contributed to this report.
