BREAKING NEWS:

A San Diego police officer said the body presumed to be that of Dane Williams, an employee for a Costa Mesa-based company who went missing Saturday, may have been moved before its discovery Tuesday morning.

A passerby alerted police of a dead body, which matched the clothes and physical description of Williams, in an alley in San Diego’s City Heights neighborhood. Lt. Kevin Rooney of the San Diego Police Department said the body was wrapped in a blanket with no signs of physical trauma, and officers believe someone moved it from the scene of death.

“We do believe he didn’t die there, that he was left there,” Rooney said.

The alley where the body was found is almost exactly seven miles from the Gaslamp Quarter neighborhood where Williams, a marketing employee for the clothing company Hurley International, was last seen about 2 a.m. Saturday. Rooney said police were busy checking surveillance cameras around the area for any clues to Williams’ route.

Meanwhile, an autopsy on the body is planned for this morning.

“I think we’re going to have to leave this one to the doctor to give us some answers,” Rooney said.

MICHAEL MILLER may be reached at (714) 966-4617 or at michael.miller@latimes.com.