Sheriff's vehicle
A San Diego Sheriff’s vehicle. Photo by Alexander Nguyen

The body of a possible transient was found Tuesday morning at a North County strip mall.

The discovery in the 1700 block of University Drive in Vista was reported shortly after 6 a.m., according to sheriff’s officials.

The person who found the unidentified body in a makeshift homeless camp behind a Target store described it as partially decomposed, Lt. David Buether said. The case was being investigated as a suspected natural death, the lieutenant said.

Details about the decedent, including gender and approximate age, were not immediately available.

The county Medical Examiner’s Office was called in to take custody of the body for identification and autopsy purposes.

Updated at 12:10 p.m. May 21, 2019

–City News Service