Deputies investigating after body discovered east of Modesto

Stanislaus County Sheriff’s detectives are investigating the discovery of a body east of Modesto Wednesday afternoon.

A county public works employee mowing grass alongside Wellsford Road north of Parker Road spotted the body on the east side of the road, partially under a nearby berry bush, according to Sgt. Anthony Bejaran.

Homicide detectives from the Sheriff’s Department responded and cordoned off Wellsford Road. The California Highway Patrol also responded.

“There is the potential this was possibly a traffic collision so they are here ... in the event that the pathologist rules that there was no suspicious circumstances or foul play involved,” Bejaran said.

He said the gender of the body could not immediately be determined, “Based on the time period that the body has been here on the side of the roadway.” He could not say how long it had been there other than that it’s been “longer than a day.”

An autopsy is scheduled for Thursday.

This story was originally published April 12, 2017 at 4:14 PM with the headline "Deputies investigating after body discovered east of Modesto."