Decomposed body found near SLT hospital

Updated June 27 3:20pm

By Kathryn Reed

An autopsy conducted this afternoon on a body that was found behind Barton Hospital on Saturday was not able to definitively determine the cause of death.

“The body was in an advanced stage of decomposition. That is what is proving to be problematic,” Lt. Jim Byers with El Dorado County Sheriff’s Department told Lake Tahoe News.

Other than the deceased being a male, no other information has been released.

The autopsy was done in Sacramento because a more in depth exam was required due to the suspicious nature of the death, Byers said.

“Our officers responded to a call about suspicious circumstances — found backpack with animal damage/valuables. A search of the area led to discovering the body, which was located in the county,” South Lake Tahoe Police Chief Brian Uhler told Lake Tahoe News.

The body was found by a resident walking her dog. This was in the 1200 block of Winnemucca outside the city limits of South Lake Tahoe, right behind the hospital.

Lori Tupaj didn’t initially realize she had come across a human body because she was focusing more on finding her dog.

“I woke up in middle of night and thought I bet that had to be a person. There was no way the fur would be ripped off. It had to be a person,” Tupaj told Lake Tahoe News. “It was way too big for a dog and too small for a bear.”

She called authorities on Sunday, who told her they had received another call about the remains.