BREAKING NEWS: Homeless man found dead on local beach

The body of a 36-year-old man was found on rocks at Cleo Street beach at about 7 a.m. Saturday, said Laguna Beach Police Sgt. Darin Lenyi. He had been reported as being in the ocean waters previously, according to police records.

The man was identified as Robert Eugene Kropp, who had no known address, said Orange County coroner’s spokesman Jim Amormino.

“We are identifying him as a transient,” Amormino said. The cause of death is under investigation.

Kropp’s parents live in Manhattan Beach, Amormino said.

A 30-year-old homeless woman was near the body. The woman said she had been drinking with Kropp earlier but could not tell police what happened to the dead man. She was described by police as non-responsive due to alcohol consumption and taken to South Coast Medical Center for treatment.

Laguna Beach police had received a call at 6:54 a.m. that two people were in the water, one floating, according to police records. When police arrived, the pair were on shore, Lenyi said.

“All we have is a dead body on the beach and an incoherent woman,” Lenyi said.