BLACK CANYON CITY, AZ — UPDATE: Yavapai County Sheriff's Office says the victim was positively identified in July 2023 as 40-year-old Velmurugan Ramnathan from Phoenix. He is believed to have died due to an accidental drowning.
———
One person is dead after being found in a watering hole along Interstate 17 Saturday afternoon by three women hiking in the area.
Yavapai County Sheriff's Office says deputies responded to the area roughly a mile east of the I-17 near Badger Springs Road.
When deputies got there, they discovered a nude body partially submerged in a watering hole. It was confirmed the person was dead.
According to deputies they also discovered personal items near the watering hole as well as other physical evidence.
YCSO says criminal detectives are investigating due to the "suspicious nature of the incident."
They have not released the person's identity and are still determining the cause of death.
