NORTH COAST, Calif. — The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office said it has identified the individual whose remains were found near Ukiah late last week.

On March 22, deputies were dispatched to the 1800 block of Low Gap Road in Ukiah regarding human remains that members of a local nonprofit group found while they were conducting trash cleanup in the area.

The agency said an autopsy was conducted on Monday. Medical records were obtained for a known missing person in the Ukiah area and used for comparison when conducting the autopsy.

The decedent was positively identified as Angel Murguia-Martinez, a 25-year-old male from Ukiah who was reported as a missing person to the Ukiah Police Department in February of 2024.

Following the identification of the remains, Murguia-Martinez’s next of kin were notified.

The official cause and manner of death will be determined by a forensic pathologist and released when all forensic examination reports and tests have been completed, the sheriff’s office said.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is requested to call the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office Dispatch Center at 707-463-4086 (option 1). Information can also be provided anonymously by calling the non-emergency tip line at 707-234-2100.