Coroner Works to ID Hanging Victim

The Santa Clara County medical examiner’s office is working to identify Tuesday afternoon in what appears to be a suicide.

There was no identification on the victim so the coroner’s office is conducting an examination of the young adult male and hopes to ID him by his fingerprints, said Santa Clara County Sheriff Capt. Ken Binder.

Tuesday afternoon at 2:25 p.m. deputies responded to a call from someone walking by the creek who spotted a body hanging from a tree in the area of Stevens Creek and Blackberry Farms Golf Course, just past Blue Pheasant Bar and Grill on Stevens Creek Boulevard.

The victim was found hanging by wire in a tree above the creek, his face and head shrouded by a towel, or some sort of rag, according to Sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Jose Cardoza.

Police believe it was a suicide because there was “nothing at the scene that indicated a struggle or foul play,” Binder said.

They hope to speak to the victim’s family to determine his mental health and recent state of mind, he said.

The area of the creek where the body was discovered is between a residence, which is surrounded by a wood fence and on the other side of the creek is the old boarded-up Stocklmeir property.

The victim was pronounced dead at the scene where a jacket and some other clothing were found nearby, but officials are uncertain if the items belonged to the victim.

Cut free from the tree with wire cutters, Binder said it is unknown where the victim got the wire that was wrapped around his neck, but they do not believe it came from the nearby home. It is highly unusual for a hanging victim to use wire, he said.