Body found in rain-swollen Escondido runoff channel

ESCONDIDO - A person who may have been trying to use a paddle board to ride or cross the fast-moving currents of a rain-swollen Escondido runoff channel was found dead in the culvert this afternoon.

A 911 caller reported seeing the person, believed to be male, in the concrete ditch about 4 p.m., said Jeff Murdock, spokesman for the Escondido Fire Department.

Emergency personnel found the body in the area of West Valley Parkway and Tulip Street, Murdock said.

As of 5:30 p.m., firefighters were still working to safely remove the body from the culvert, the spokesman said.