POLICE UPDATE: "No Signs of Trauma Other Than the Effects of Fire"

UPDATE: Friday, March 29, 5:12 p.m.

The body of the man found burned Tuesday on the Highway 29 pedestrian overpass showed no signs of trauma other than the severe effects of the fire that engulfed him in flames prior to his discovery, an autopsy Friday found.

The autopsy was done at 8 a.m. today, said Napa Police Det. Sean Ulitin, in charge of the investigation.

"When I go into an autopsy, I'm looking for evidence of criminal activity -- gunshot wounds, blunt force trauma to the head, bruises or stabbings," Ulitin said. "But everything was fine in that regard -- there were no signs of trauma other than the effects of the fire."

Barring any unusual substances -- such as drug overdoses or poisons -- found in the toxicology report, the "main contributing factor" to the cause of death appears to be the severe burning from the fire, Ulitin said.

The autopsy also failed to shed any light on the man's identity, Ulitin added.

The next step in finding his identity is for the Napa County Coroner's Office to  send out DNA samples to the state crime lab, he said. Dental records will also likely be used for comparison, once the DNA results come back, Ulitin said.

Ulitin said although it was impossible to pinpoint the man's age, he appeared to be a young adult male -- not a child and not elderly.

"We will keep trying to learn the man's identity," he said.

UPDATE: Thursday, March 28, 2:20 p.m.

The autopy for the man burned on the Highway 29 overpass Tuesday has been set for 8 a.m. Friday, according to Napa Police Det. Sean Ulitin.

Ulitin said any news that might come from the autopsy on cause of death or ID on the man could be made available by late Friday, barring any new developments.

UPDATE: Wednesday, March 27, 10:50 a.m.

Napa Police said they are waiting for an autopsy to be done later this week to reveal the identity of the man found dead after being engulfed in flames Tuesday morning on the Highway 29 pedestrian overpass.

"At this point, the ID is pending the autopsy, said Napa Police Det. Sean Ulitin, who is handling the ongoing investigation. "The autopsy should be done by the end of this week."

Ulitin said the man was burned "severely" and that police were unable to identify him using normal markers. He said he expects that the autopsy will determine if either dental records or DNA matches would be used to make an identification.

Dental records would be the fastest method, Ulitin said, since DNA samples have to be sent out to a lab.

Ulitin said the Napa County Coroner's office had to delay the autopsy for a few days because of the autopsy doctor's court schedule.

"He has some court cases to take care of, so we have to work around his schedule," Ulitin said. "It will be done by the end of the week."

UPDATE: Tuesday, March 26, 8:40 a.m.

A man's body was found just before 4 a.m. today engulfed in flames on the Highway 29 pedestrian overpass.

Police are terming the death "suspicious," but said they have "no information or evidence to suggest this is a homicide or suicide," according to Napa Police Capt. Jeff Troendly.

Troendly said there was no word on who the man was, and that his body was burned "significantly."

"We don't have any idea now who this person is," he said. "If he can't be ID'd before, he will have to be ID'd through the autopsy."

Troendly said the Napa Communication Center received a several calls just before 4 a.m. Tuesday from citizens indicating there was a fire on the overpass

 The Napa City Fire Department responded to this location and found a male subject fully engulfed in flames. Firefighters extinguished the flames and paramedics determined the individual was deceased.

Napa Police Department detectives responded to the scene and have begun their investigation into the circumstances surrounding this incident.

"At this time there is no information or evidence to suggest this is a homicide or suicide," Troendly said.

According to Bay City News Service, police visited homeless camps but have not learned of any transients who have gone missing, Troendly said. No missing persons reports are pending that could be linked to the man, he told BCN.      

Troendly said traffic on Highway 29 is not being affected by the incident because the overpass is "pretty out of the way -- if you're going 60 mph, by the time you realize what you're looking at, you're passed it."

Anyone with information regarding this incident should call Det. Sean Ulitin at (707) 257-9509.

ORIGINAL STORY: Tuesday, March 26, 8:26 a.m.

A body was found Tuesday morning engulfed in flames on the pedestrian overpass straddling Highway 29 south of the Trancas exit, police said.

Police were still at the scene at 8:30 a.m. and a news release was expected momentarily.

Witnesses say the body is covered by a white tent set up on the overpass, just behind the Chablis Inn. Police are gathered on the Solano Avenue side of the overpass, witnesses said.

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