LUCERNE – The body of a man found Monday has been identified as that of a Lucerne resident.

Michael Collins Sr., 49, was found lying in the road in the hills above Lucerne Monday, according to a Tuesday report from Sgt. Brian Martin of the Lake County Sheriff's Office Investigations Division.

Martin reported that sheriff's deputies and Northshore Fire personnel responded to a call at 9:38 a.m. Monday from a Lucerne woman who had found Collins lying next to a truck on Robinson Road, a dirt road in the hills above Lucerne.

The woman had been walking her dogs in the area when she found Collins, Martin reported. The woman notified the sheriff’s Central Dispatch and fire and law enforcement personnel immediately responded to investigate.

Upon their arrival, medics determined that the man was unresponsive and he was determined to be deceased by the deputy coroner, according to Martin.

The man was subsequently identified as Collins, said Martin. The truck he was found by was determined to belong to Collins, according to Department of Motor Vehicle records.

Martin said the area of Robinson Road where Collins was found has been the subject of numerous complaints of illegal dumping.

Deputies found Collins’ truck stopped in the middle of the road with the tailgate down, said Martin, with garbage in the back of the truck and on the ground directly behind the tailgate.

A shovel also was found on the ground next to Collins, said Martin. A light dusting of snow was on top of the garbage on the ground and the garbage in the back of the truck.

The investigation into the matter suggested that Collins may have been in that area since the previous evening, said Martin.

Collins’ next of kin were notified of his death shortly after he was discovered, according to Martin.

The investigation found no signs of foul play associated with Collins' death, Martin reported.

An autopsy on Collins has been scheduled, said Martin, with the official cause of death his still pending.

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