Tips sought in unsolved Vista arson fire - kusi.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from kusi.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
SANTEE
Hikers discovered human remains Wednesday afternoon on a trail in the far northern portion of Santee, sheriff’s officials said.
The hikers reported their discovery about 4 p.m. near a trail in undeveloped land west of Summit Avenue, according to sheriff’s homicide Lt. Thomas Seiver.
Homicide investigators have taken over the investigation, though it’s unknown how or when the person died. Seiver said detectives will coordinate with the county Medical Examiner’s Office, “who will ultimately be responsible for identifying the remains and determining cause and manner of death.”
It was unclear exactly where the remains were found, but investigators were gathered Wednesday night near the far northern portion of Summit Avenue, along which homes are spread out on moderately sized properties. There are several hiking trails to the west of the area that lead to the northern portions of Santee Lakes and into the foothills between Santee, Scripps Ranch and Poway.
Authorities reached out to the public Wednesday for help in identifying a man who sparked a blaze that caused an estimated $2 million worth of damage in a commercial district in Vista.
LA MESA
A man died after he was brought to Sharp Grossmont Hospital with gunshot wounds Wednesday night and La Mesa police are trying to determine where the shooting took place, a police spokesman said.
Someone in a dark red Honda sedan dropped the man off outside the emergency room shortly before 7 p.m. and left, said La Mesa police Lt. Greg Runge. The victim had been shot in the upper torso.
“The La Mesa Police Department investigations unit is working to determine the circumstances and location of this crime,” Runge said in an email. The department “does not currently have any incidents that match.”
NORTH COUNTY
Sheriff’s investigators are seeking help from the public to identify a man accused of sexually battering women on at least three occasions at North County stores in the week before Christmas.
According to investigators, the man approached the victims from behind, grabbed their shoulders and then pressed himself against their backsides, sheriff’s Lt. Ricardo Lopez said. When the women would turn around to confront the man, he claimed to have confused them for a friend.
Surveillance videos from the stores showed the man touching his genitals underneath his clothing before and after touching his victims, Lopez said in a news release.