Missing Winchester Man Found Dead, Search Organizers Say

FRENCH VALLEY, CA – A man who had been missing from the Winchester area for more than a week was found dead over the weekend, family and friends say. A body matching the description of Alfredo "Fredo" Rodriguez was found around 12:30 p.m. Sunday in the French Valley area, the sheriff's department told Patch.

Though sheriff's officials said the coroner's official confirmation on the man's identity is pending, a statement from the family indicated that Rodriguez "...is with the Lord now."

"It's with a heavy heart that we want to inform you that there is no longer a search in progress for Alfredo Rodriguez," a statement released on the Help Find Alfredo Rodriguez Facebook page says. "He is with the Lord now. At this point the family asks to please keep them in your prayers and respect their privacy during this difficult time."

According to the Riverside County sheriff's department, a man's body was found by a local citizen in the area of Cottonwood Road and Washington Street on Sunday. The last time anyone saw Rodriguez alive was on May 2 as he was walking on Cottonwood Road.

Family members say Rodriguez left his wallet, phone and keys at his home and were worried for his safety. Since his disappearance, they launched several search parties, in both the Temecula and Coachella valleys.

Originally an Indio resident and a former teacher at Indio's Shadow Hills High School and Coachella's Cahuilla Desert Academy, Rodriguez was recently hired at the Lake Elsinore Unified School District and moved to Winchester last year, according to search organizers.

Family members believe that a recent prescription for Ambien, provided to help Rodriguez with sleeping issues, may have contributed to his disappearance, as labeling for the drug warns of potential side effects such as abnormal thinking, behavioral changes and hallucinations.

"Rodriguez had complained of sleep issues recently and had been prescribed Ambien," the Facebook page dedicated to search efforts for the man stated. "A possible adverse effect of the medication, FDA-approved labeling for the drug warns that it can cause such symptoms as abnormal thinking, behavioral changes and hallucinations."

Images courtesy of Help Find Alfredo Rodriguez Facebook page