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A third body discovered this month in the Tracy area prompted police to issue a statement saying the cases are unrelated and that there is no heightened risk to the public.
The dead man found Sunday morning in a locked car near the Tracy Pavilion shopping center was determined to be a person reported missing from Lathrop, 15 miles to the east. Police said Monday that there were no signs of foul play and that the San Joaquin County medical examiner would determine a cause of death.
The police statement acknowledged “growing concerns” in the community.
In the previous two weeks, two bodies were found along rural roads outside Tracy:
• Jan. 5, Durham Ferry and Chrisman roads. The body has been identified as that of Den’Nicia Rowe, 31, of Fremont, and the case is being investigated as a homicide.
• Jan. 10, Tracy Boulevard near Grant Line Canal. The preliminary finding was that the person found dead in a ditch was a pedestrian killed in a hit-and-run, police said. If that circumstance is corroborated by the medical examiner, the case will be taken over by the California Highway Patrol.
The police statement Monday said: “While we are aware of growing concerns from community members regarding the recent deceased bodies found near Tracy, we would like to assure the community that each of the cases are unrelated and are being thoroughly investigated by the appropriate law enforcement agency.”
Tracy police had issued a similar statement on a video on social media after the Jan. 10 discovery.
A death this month not included among the discovered bodies was that of a Tracy teenager who was fatally shot. That incident, on the evening of Jan. 12, was initially reported as a traffic collision; police found the wounded David Cantero Valdez, 17, in a car on Sugar Road. On Jan. 19, police arrested a 27-year-old Tracy man on suspicion of murder.
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