Caltrans employees working on the Safety Corridor of Hwy 101 near Mid-City Motor World north of Eureka discovered a decomposing body in the center divide early this afternoon.

Sgt. Mike Campbell of the California Highway Patrol told us that his office was notified at 12:42 p.m. Campbell said that he wasn’t trained in the field but he speculated that the body had been there for three or four weeks.

“We believe [the body] is a male,” he told us. He noted an odd situation, the deceased person was carrying more than one billfold. “He had several wallets,” the Sergeant told us.

The next step he explained was for the Humboldt County Coroner’s Office to do an autopsy and identify the deceased person. Campbell said that the investigation is ongoing but no foul play is suspected.

Samantha Karges, spokesperson for the Humboldt County Sheriff and Coroner’s office, said she would get back to Redheaded Blackbelt.

“A deputy coroner is still currently on scene,” she wrote in an email.

Read the CHP release below:

On June 10, 2020, at approximately 12:42 pm, the California Department of Transportation was conducting highway improvements on US 101, south of Indianola Cutoff. While Caltrans was putting up temporary orange fencing, they located a deceased body lying in the tall grassy center divider.

The California Highway Patrol and the Humboldt County Sheriff's Department responded to the scene. Upon arrival, it appeared a subject was lying in a supine position and had been deceased for a while. The identity is yet to be determined. The Coroner recovered the body and will assist with identification of the subject and cause of death. There is no evidence to suspect foul play.

If anyone has any information regarding this incident, please contact the Humboldt CHP Office at (707) 822-5981.