Police officers were shocked when they discovered a dead body in an impounded SUV. How does a tow truck driver miss that? At least the discovery occurred on the same day that the family was notified about the Kia SUV being towed. 

California man found dead in impounded SUV 

California police officers in San Diego discovered yet another body in an impounded SUV. This time the body was in the back of a Kia that was towed to Logan Heights about a week ago. 

According to NBC San Diego, the discovery occurred the same day that the man’s family members were notified the SUV was towed to Road One lot on National Avenue. 

San Diego police and homicide detectives quickly responded to the scene. Officers surrounded the Kia SUV as family members gathered their belongings. 

The Kia was reported parked in the same location for over 72 hours in the city’s Get it Done App. Code enforcement ticketed the vehicle for an overtime violation. Then the SUV was impounded. 

Allegedly, the discovery would have been made sooner if the vehicle wasn’t locked. The tow truck driver was unable to gain access to the vehicle to conduct a routine valuable search. 

The city and police department are currently being sued for failing to find a homeless woman in an impounded van after a car crashed into it. The woman wasn’t discovered until a month later when a worker smelled something terrible coming from the Honda Odyssey. 

Police officers aren’t required but can inventory a lawfully impounded vehicle without a search warrant, and maybe they should do that more often. In the case of the man in the Kia, police currently believe the man died by suicide.