By Anthony Saude

Corona – The young man’s body that was unceremoniously discarded in the middle of a Corona street last week has been identified by family members. Michael Williams, who had recently turned 26, was an aspiring chef according to his grief-stricken relatives.

The family gathered for a vigil at the scene to mourn and remember their slain precious Michael. A little later on that Monday the Corona police confirmed that Williams was the person they had found.

Five days earlier the Corona Police Department responded to a report that there was a pedestrian lying in the middle of the street. When they arrived at the 1300 block of Old Temescal Road shortly before 2 a.m. they discovered Williams’s lifeless body. A homicide investigation into the crime was opened immediately.

His mother Elyse Vaughn told reporters, “it’s a call that you never want to get.” She told them that she wished it was like a bad dream that she could wake up from but it’s not.

Family members told reporters that they believe he may have been dumped in the remote industrial area where he was found. They had no idea why he would be in the area.

“Michael was fun-loving, he was a very sweet young man,” Vaughn told reporters. “There’s so much to say about him. It’s hard to put it in words. He was the light of our lives … he was the energy that walked into every room.”

The family is very confused about who would want to hurt their sweet Michael. They can’t think of anbody that would want to hurt him. The family says he was a very kind, gentle fun loving person that had a lot of friends.

There is a Gofundme page set up to help the family pay for funeral costs that describes Williams as “a kind, funny, gentle and truly compassionate soul,” who “loved basketball, music, fashion and food.”

It is always a tragedy when people are struck down senselessly at such a young age. They will never get to watch their child get married or see their grandchildren be born or grow up. This type of crime robs so many people of so much happiness that should have been part of their lives in the future.

Corona Police Department said that the investigation is still ongoing. They are searching for surveillance video from nearby businesses that could help solve the crime.

A cause of death has not been released at this time but it is being investigated as a homicide according to the police. If anyone has any information in relative to the crime they are encouraged to call the Corona police at 951-279-3628