VENTURA : Coroner Seeks Help in Identifying Body

The Ventura County coroner is asking for help in identifying a man who died of natural causes Thursday in Ventura’s Plaza Park.

The body was discovered at 9:45 a.m. in a public bathroom at the park on East Santa Clara Street. The man had been dead for several hours when found.

No identification was found on the body. A check of the man’s fingerprints with state authorities turned up nothing, indicating that he had no criminal record, said Craig Stevens, a senior deputy coroner.

An autopsy determined that the man had a massive heart attack about a week before having a second, fatal attack, Stevens said.

“The first attack greatly weakened his heart,” he said. “He had another massive attack and it took his life.” No evidence of other injuries, trauma or foul play was found, Stevens said.

The man was wearing a short-sleeved shirt with red and blue pin stripes and faded denim pants, he said. He was also wearing slip-on shoes, Stevens said.

A set of car keys belonging to a Ford automobile was found in his pocket, but did not match any nearby car, Stevens said.

The man was Caucasian and appeared to be in his early 50s, Stevens said. He was about 5 feet, 9 inches tall, weighed 160 to 175 pounds and had brown hair with blue-gray eyes, Stevens said.