The medical examiner’s office said Monday the cause of death for David Issac Bernal-Medina is still pending for the 32-year-old gay man whose body was discovered 12 days after his crashed vehicle was found.
A private investigator working with Bernal-Medina’s family discovered the body April 18 at the bottom of an embankment underneath a bridge in Mission Valley and called police.
Bernal-Medina may have died as a result of a fall, but the medical examiner’s office said the cause of death will likely be determined within 30 days. Bernal-Medina lived in North Park.
Bernal-Medina was driving a Lyft SUV which was found abandoned and damaged near the Interstate 8 and 805 north and south transition ramps. Recently, he had been working as a Lyft driver.
KGTV Channel 10 reporters Emily Thode and Hannah Mullins did several stories about the missing man and his partner, Joseph Gonzalez, who posted missing flyers with his photo.
San Diego Police also issued a missing person flyer after the California Highway Patrol found the vehicle unoccupied and damaged.
A Facebook page in memoriam for David Issac Bernal-Medina is online. It was temporarily removed after some people posted unkind comments, but those were deleted and it was later restored.
“We hope people who love David Issac will find comfort in visiting his profile to remember and celebrate his life,” his page says.
