Body Found In Costa Mesa ID'd As Missing Dana Point Teacher

DANA POINT, CA — A decomposed body found behind a Costa Mesa business Aug. 7 was identified by California Highway Patrol officials Thursday as a Dana Point man who was reported missing by his family weeks earlier, authorities said.

Orion Adrian Gardner, 44, was last seen leaving his house on July 20 at around 8:30 p.m., according to the Orange County Sheriff's Department. Gardner was a former science teacher at JSerra Catholic High School in San Juan Capistrano.

According to a missing person's bulletin circulated by the OCSD, Gardner was last seen leaving his Dana Point home on-foot wearing a black shirt, black pants and black shoes, and wearing black-rimmed glasses.

Authorities said Gardner left on-foot in an unknown direction and was not heard from again. He was declared a critical missing person by the department due to the fact that he was without his needed medication.

Orange County Sheriff's Department spokesperson Sgt. Todd Hylton told the Los Angeles Times that while several calls and tips came into the department, none led them to finding the missing man.

“We received several leads and had tracked down leads, as far as potential locations, but unfortunately none of those led to the discovery of his location,” Hylton told the Los Angeles Times.

Gardner's body was found the morning of Aug. 7 by a homeless man who was collecting cans behind a dog boarding and daycare business at 2700 Bristol St. in Costa Mesa, the LA Times reported.

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Orange County Coroner's officials were unable to immediately identify the body, as it had expired nine to 12 days before being found.

No signs of foul play were spotted by investigators, and the cause of death is under investigation pending a toxicology report, the California Highway Patrol reported Thursday.

Residents with information regarding the case are asked to call Officer J. Final at CHP’s Santa Ana office at (714) 567-6000.