The bodies of two men were discovered in the bed of an abandoned pickup truck in the Santa Cruz Mountains on Tuesday, prompting a double-homicide investigation near Castle Rock State Park, according to authorities.
The discovery was made along Highway 35/Skyline Boulevard, roughly three miles south of Castle Rock State Park, NBC Bay Area reported. A tow truck arrived on the scene with the California Highway Patrol to remove the pickup truck.
One of the deceased has been identified by a family member as 45-year-old Sean Pfeffer of Boulder Creek, according to his sister. The other man was a friend of Pfeffer’s, she told KSBW.
Boulder Creek is located just a few miles south of the area where the bodies were found.
The cause and manner of death have not yet been determined, however, NBC Bay Area reporter Damian Trujillo reported that undisclosed sources are painting “a very disturbing picture.”
UPDATE: The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is heading up the double-homicide investigation. The Coroner has not yet identified the bodies or released the cause or manner of death.
There is no existing surveillance footage in the remote area. No witnesses have come forward to suggest they had seen the two men alive in the area. The ownership of the pickup truck is currently unknown.
This is a developing story; further updates will be provided as they become available.
