The Merced Sheriff’s recovered a body of a man in the river at the Grasslands State Park on August 20, 2019, at approximately 7:30 a.m.

Deputy Cody Parks located a suspicious vehicle parked in the Parking lot of the Fremonts Ford/Great Valley Grasslands State Park on East Highway 140 between Stevinson and Gustine at around 3:30 a.m.

The vehicle was unlocked and there was no one found in the area.

Deputy Parks ran a check on the license plate and the vehicle came back as being associated with Isamar Iglesias who had been reported missing eight days earlier to the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputy Parks, Deputy Rouse and Deputy Rouse’s tracking K-9, Vito attempted to locate anyone associated with the vehicle but was unable to find anyone in the immediate area.

At approximately 7:30 AM, members of the Merced County Sheriff’s Office Aviation Unit and Water Rescue and Recovery Team were called out to the area to perform a search of the river.

Approximately .25 miles northwest of the parks boat ramp, the aviation unit found what they believed to be a body in the river.

The Merced County Sheriff’s Office Water Rescue and Recovery Team utilized a shallow water boat and recovered the body. The Merced County Coroner’s Bureau positively identified the body as the missing person, 27-year-old Isamar Iglesias.

The Merced County Sheriff’s Office Investigations Bureau and Coroner’s Bureau are currently investigating the suspicious death and looking for any possible information that could help in determining what happened.

Anyone with information; please call the investigations bureau at (209)385-7472. Your name and information can remain anonymous.