SANTA BARBARA - Update... Santa Barbara Police have identified the man who's body was found at Shoreline Park and don't believe foul play was involved.
According to police at approximately 6:30am, 9-20-2012, Santa Barbara Police Officers responded to a report of a found body along the beach below Shoreline Park, 1200 Shoreline Drive in Santa Barbara.
Upon their arrival, they found the body of a deceased male along the water's edge with injuries that were consistent with a fall. Santa Barbara Police Detectives as well as the Santa Barbara Sheriff/Coroner's Office responded to investigate.
Due to the location, circumstances and possible injuries of the decedent, Santa Barbara PD Major Crimes Detectives conducted the investigation to collect evidence and rule out foul play. An autopsy will be performed to determine exact cause of death.
The body was collected by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff/Coroner pending the autopsy.
The decedent has since been identified as Christopher Evan Marks, 60 years old of Santa Barbara. His family has since been notified.
At this point there is no information to suggest that foul play was involved.
Thursday Santa Barbara Police are trying to contact family members of a man who's body was found washed up on the beach below Shoreline Park.
Police believe the body was discovered after sunrise Thursday morning along the 1200 block of Shoreline Drive by one of the many people who use the park on a daily basis.
Witnesses at Shoreline Park say police and the County Coroner's office spent the early morning hours retrieving the body from the beach and collecting evidence.
"After the police finished their investigation a group of tourists came up and said they found more of his belongings over by the Thousand Steps staircase", says Jeremyah Freeman who arrived at the park early in the morning when police were on the scene, "it makes me think he slipped on the steps where the algae is growing, hit his head, the tide was up and the current drifted his body down the beach here."
Shoreline Park is a popular camping spot for the homeless in Santa Barbara.
Police say they believe the man is a local resident and was about 60 years old.
