At 6:15 am Tuesday, police were called to a home on California Street near Roosevelt Park in Dinuba for reports of a person who appeared to be sleeping in the yard.
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Instead, they made a disturbing discovery.
"Upon arrival, they located a deceased male, he appeared to have some type of head trauma, he does not reside at the residence that he was located at," said Lt. Thaddeus Ashford with the Dinuba Police Department.
Ashford says detectives have been working to identify the victim, but he has no connection to the property where he was found.
Action News spoke with neighbors in the area who say it is typically a quiet part of town, but there are some concerns when the sun goes down, especially around the park and recreation center.
"I really do think this rec needs to be more secured, especially nighttime. there's a lot of things going on at night," said Margarita Munoz.
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Munoz says people experiencing homelessness are known to spend time in this area, but police have not confirmed if the victim was homeless.
Police say this is the third homicide in the city so far this year, with the first incident having two victims.
"I would say this would be more than an average year or typical year," Lt. Ashford said. "It's a quiet city, everybody keeps to themselves, so we don't typically - it's out of the norm to have this."
Lt. Ashford says it's important to be observant because this call came from a family member checking on their loved ones' home while on the way to work.
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"The main thing, just be vigilant, be aware of your surroundings, If you do see anything suspicious or out of the ordinary, make sure you call us," said Lt. Ashford.
If you have any information, call the Dinuba Police Department at (559) 5915911.
You can remain anonymous by calling (559) 591-TIP1 (8471).
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