Las Americas Premium Outlets
The Las Americas Premium Outlets in San Ysidro. Courtesy Simon Property Group

San Diego Police are investigating the death of a man whose body washed up behind an outlet mall near the Mexican border.

The unidentified man was found sometime Thursday in the Tijuana River covered in mud and debris behind the Las Americas Premium Outlets, less than mile from the San Ysidro Port of Entry.

According to police, the man “appeared to have been there for some time” and initially exhibited no obvious injuries, due to the body’s condition.

However, a Friday autopsy revealed unspecified “traumatic injuries,” prompting a police investigation. Police have not alluded to where they believe the man suffered those injuries, but said it was “possible the man’s body was carried by the Tijuana River across the border into the United States.”

Investigators have not been able to identify the man, but hope that his “distinctive tattoos” will aid them in his identification.

Anyone with information regarding the death was asked to call the SDPD Homicide Unit at (619) 531-2293 or San Diego County Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.

Chris Jennewein is Editor & Publisher of Times of San Diego.