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Police Identify Man Found at Paterna Recycling Plant as Autopsy Rules Out Homicide

A preliminary autopsy attributes the death to accidental asphyxia by aspiration, ruling out criminal violence.

Overview

  • A machine operator discovered the body around 2:00–2:30 a.m. during cardboard sorting at Saica Natur’s Fuente del Jarro facility in Paterna.
  • Investigators believe the man, about 50 and living in homelessness, had taken shelter inside a cardboard collection container during cold weather.
  • Police traced the container pickup to Valencia or nearby l’Horta, a lead considered key to reconstructing the victim’s final hours.
  • Forensic findings report injuries consistent with mechanical compaction but no homicidal lesions, with death attributed to bronchoaspiration.
  • Officers identified the victim after checking fingerprints and missing-person reports, as homicide and scientific units finalize the case file.