Coroner IDs Man Found Fatally Beaten Near Canyon Lake

CANYON LAKE, CA — A man whose body was found in a culvert near Canyon Lake last week has been publicly identified by the Riverside County coroner's office. He was 29-year-old Rafael Quintero. Quintero was a resident of the community of Good Hope.

The victim now identified as Quintero was located in the culvert off a dirt road about 8 a.m. Tuesday, on the north side of the gated municipality, Riverside County sheriff's Sgt. Ben Ramirez said.

Passers-by spotted the body and alerted deputies, who went into the culvert and discovered that the man had suffered traumatic injuries that were intentionally inflicted, Ramirez said.

"Upon arrival, deputies were directed to a culvert southeast of Keystone Dr. and Cakes Pl., in the unincorporated area of Lake Elsinore," Ramirez said in a news release. "They located a deceased male with obvious trauma, in the culvert."

The length of time the remains were likely in the drainage canal was not disclosed.

Homicide detectives took over the investigation and immediately began searching for clues as to what happened to the victim and why.

Anyone with information was asked to contact the sheriff's Central Homicide Unit at (951) 955-2777.

— Patch file photo by Renee Schiavone / City News Service contributed to this report