Decomposed Body Found in Salinas

A badly decomposed body was discovered at Natividad Creek Park June 15, according to the Salinas Police Department.

A city crew doing cleanup work at the park Saturday morning found the body, which has not yet been identified, says Officer Miguel Cabrera, the department’s spokesman.

An autopsy was inconclusive, though the remains appear to be of a woman, Cabrera says. A DNA sample is now being sent to the Department of Justice for analysis.

“Hopefully they will be able to shed some light on this case,” Cabrera says.

Police have taken preliminary steps to inform the family of one woman who went missing in November, because the body was discovered in the same area as the woman disappeared.  

Leticia Morales-Soto went missing after Thanksgiving and is presumed to have been murdered, Cabrera says. She was last seen with a man named Rafael Carallo, who police suspect fled to Mexico.

Cabrera stresses that police still do not know the identity of the body. It’s unclear how long the investigation will take or when the DNA analysis will be complete.