Parents find son’s body after deputies search...

Parents find son’s body after deputies search

A UC Irvine student, whose parents found his body more than 12

hours after deputies located his car in a Norco ditch, likely died in

the crash or soon after, an autopsy indicated.

A car driven by James Walsh, an 18-year-old UCI student, drove off

a Norco road just after 1 a.m. Sunday, Riverside Sheriff’s Department

Sgt. Earl Quinata said Wednesday. Sheriff’s deputies looked “in and

around the vehicle” but did not find anyone and had the car towed, he

said.

At about 2:45 p.m. Sunday, deputies received a call from

California Highway Patrol officers saying they had found a body near

the crash scene, authorities said. Walsh’s parents had gone to the

scene and found their son, he said.

The Riverside Sheriff’s Department is investigating the accident

and is conducting an internal investigation on “what actions were

taken by employees on scene,” Quinata said.

Results from an autopsy performed on Tuesday were released

Wednesday. Walsh died instantly or shortly after blunt-force trauma

to the head from the accident, Quinata said.

The autopsy was performed by an official from the Los Angeles

Medical Examiner’s office at the request of the Riverside sheriff,

authorities said.

Police say man likely fell or jumped to death

An Irvine man found dead at the top of a Newport Beach parking

structure Wednesday likely jumped or fell from an adjacent hotel,

police said.

Newport Beach police found the body of a 21-year-old man shortly

before 1 p.m. Wednesday, Lt. Steve Shulman said. The man was found on

the sixth-floor roof of a parking structure for the Marriott Hotel in

the 900 Block of Newport Center Drive, he said.

The 16-story hotel extends higher than the parking structure.

“It’s believed he either fell or jumped,” Shulman said. “It’s not

believed to be suspicious or foul play.”

The man was seen by a witness shortly before his body was found,

Shulman said.

The hotel is currently undergoing renovations but the man was not

a worker or a guest, he said.

The man’s identity had not been released as of press time.

His death is still under investigation by Newport Beach Police.

UCI student dies after swimming accident

A UC Irvine student died Saturday after being in a coma following

a swimming accident.

Michael Johnson, 34, was a first-year MBA student at UCI’s Paul

Merage School of Business. He was found at the bottom of a Stanford

University swimming pool April 17 after a charity water polo game.

His death is still under investigation.

Students have held informal memorials for Johnson, said Katie

Ismael, a spokeswoman for the school.

Johnson was born in Burlingame and grew up in Oregon, according to

the school’s website. He dreamed of starting a sports event

management and promotional company, according to the website.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Michael Johnson

Fund to help the family with burial costs. Checks made out to the

“Michael Johnson Fund” may be sent to the fund c/o Victoria Ongie, UC

Irvine, Paul Merage School of Business, GSM 220, Irvine, CA

92697-3125.