The Carbon County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed that a body was found in East Carbon on Wednesday evening.
According to East Carbon Police Chief Sam Leonard, the body was found in a pond near the ash piles at the Columbia turnoff and identified as 54-year-old Mark Martinez, a long-time resident of East Carbon.
Leonard explained that Martinez was reported as missing to authorities this week and friends and family stated that he had not been seen for three to four weeks. Ultimately, a friend began searching for Martinez on Wednesday, visiting places he had been known to frequent.
The friend found Martinez’ body, facedown, in a pond near the ash piles around 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday and immediately contacted East Carbon Police. The police department responded with assistance from Wellington City Police, the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office, the East Carbon Fire Department and a representative from the medical examiner’s office.
According to Leonard, Martinez’ body had appeared to have been in the pond for the majority of the time he had been missing. However, there is no suspicion of foul play at this time. Leonard explained that there was nothing suspicious about the scene or the area.
The East Carbon Police Department is still actively investigating the scene and will continue to do so throughout Thursday. Leonard explained that an exact cause of death will not be released until the formal report is completed by the medical examiner.