Investigators with the Avondale Police Department are trying to identify a man who was found dead in a canal near Indian School and Litchfield Roads.
A group of teenagers fishing in the canal made the discovery Sunday afternoon.
Group of teens fishing were ones to spot the body. They called parents, who called 911. Litchfield & Indian School pic.twitter.com/R480XsOvoW
— Raquel Cervantes (@RaquelABC15) February 8, 2016
"I looked down and I saw hair, and I got really freaked out. So, I was in shock, and I ran. I told my friend," said Connor, one of the teens who found the body.
The boys, all 13 years old, saw something their young eyes couldn't believe--a man floating, dead in the canal.
"There was a body, and it was floating face down," another boy, Jacob, said.
"He thought maybe it was a mannequin," Connor said.
The boys still weren't convinced of what they saw.
"We just took the fishing pole and kind of poked it. It was all squishy. And we saw hair (and) ears," a boy named Alex said.
The frightened teens called their parents and 911.
Investigators searched for clues along the canal, which is behind a row of houses.
"I saw eight or nine cops pulling a body out," said Jessica Rivera, who pulled over after seeing police in the area. "I mean, I just moved out here, so it's kind of scary."
For the boys, if the sign warning "no fishing" in the canal doesn't keep them away, this discovery sure will.
"Be careful, fish in safer places maybe," Connor said.
The investigation is ongoing, and police have not yet ruled out foul play.
