Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

IRWINDALE - A man was found dead Friday night at what was described as a homeless encampment underneath the Lower Azusa Road overpass, the Irwindale Police Department said.

Irwindale and Arcadia officers responded just after 8 p.m. October 1 to a report of a deceased man under the overpass. The body was found on the upper portion of the San Gabriel River’s east bank. It is believed that the body had been there for a significant, but undetermined length of time, according to the Irwindale Police Department.

It is not yet publicly clear how officers were notified of the dead body. It is not clear if the homeless encampment was occupied by anyone else, or if someone happened to stumble upon the dead body.

Anyone with information on this incident is urged to call Irwindale Police Detective Nicolas Lopez at 626-430-2239. He can also be emailed at nlopez@irwindale ca.gov. Information can be provided anonymously by calling LA Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), through the P3Tips mobile app, or lacrimestoppers.org.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

IRWINDALE - Los Angeles County Fire Department arson investigators and Irwindale police officers identified a stolen vehicle suspect after a Jeep SUV was found in flames in the San Gabriel River south of Huntington Drive Friday.

Matthew Thomas Dyer, 46, was arrested and booker on suspicion of felony arson. Tips from the community also helped lead to Dyer’s arrest, according to the Irwindale Police Department.

After the Jeep SUV Fire was extinguished Friday morning, officers learned the vehicle was stolen in Azusa September 24, according to the Irwindale Police Department.

Dyer was released on a citation due to Los Angeles County’s “zero bail” policy, according to the Irwindale Police Department.

The destroyed Jeep was towed away and returned to the owner.

LOS ANGELES - The cause of death and the name of the woman found in the San Gabriel Riverbed February 20 in Irwindale were released recently.

Heather Marvets, 37, was identified by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner. Marvets died from puncture wounds. Her death is listed as a homicide.

Irwindale officers were sent to investigate a medical call in the San Gabriel Riverbed between the 210 freeway and Huntington Drive around 8:50 p.m. Homicide Detectives were called to handle the investigation after the woman’s body was found, according to Sgt. Rudy Gatto of the Irwindale Police Department.

>>FULL STORY: Investigation Underway After Body Found in San Gabriel River Saturday

It is unclear if homicide detectives have identified a motive, a suspect, or if a suspect is in custody.

The San Gabriel Riverbed near the 210 freeway and northbound into the foothills is peppered with homeless encampments of varying sizes. The encampments are mostly set in the middle of the riverbed, or occupy the areas east of the San Gabriel River Bike Path.

Firefighters respond to douse cooking, or warming fires that often billow into full-blown brush fires.

As often as crews work to clear and clean the riverbeds of tarps, garbage and bicycle parts, people quickly return to occupy these wilderness areas.

Anyone with information on the homicide is urged to call the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500-Information can be provided anonymously by calling LA Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), through the P3Tips mobile app, or lacrimestoppers.org.