Body of missing Tulare County man found in Friant Kern Canal
The search for a 27-year-old Porterville man ended on Tuesday.
Around 12 p.m., Porterville police were dispatched to the Friant-Kern Canal, off of Henderson Avenue and west of Westwood Street, after a body was found floating in the canal.
Porterville detectives responded and took over the investigation. With the help of the Tulare County Sheriff’s Department Dive Team, the body was pulled from the water.
Detectives confirmed that it was Jose Manuel Pancho Castro who was found in the water. He'd been missing for nearly two weeks. It's unclear how he made his way into the canal.
There were no signs of foul play and the death appears to be "accidental," according to Porterville Sgt. Mark Hatch.
Castro was last seen by his family on Jan. 14, just outside of Porterville. He was known to frequent the Porterville, Strathmore and Plainview areas, police said. The family reported Castro missing last week.
California Highway Patrol officers found the man's car abandoned near the canal at Avenue 182 and Road 232, outside of Lindsay. The dive team had previously searched the canal for Castro, but came up empty-handed late last week.
Anyone with information regarding the investigation is asked to call the Porterville Police Department at 782-7400.
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Body of missing Tulare County man found in Friant Kern Canal
