BOULDER CREEK, Calif. — A school employee found a dead body on an outdoor, second-story balcony at Boulder Creek Elementary School on Monday morning, a grisly discovery that canceled school while Sheriff’s Office detectives determine what happened.
The teacher found a white man in his 30s or 40s dead around 7:10 a.m. and called 911, according to Boulder Creek Volunteer Fire District Fire ChiefKevin McClish.
“”We basically got there, saw he was deceased and waited for the sheriffs to show up,”” he said.
Deputies were at the school to investigate Monday morning; blood was found at the scene, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
“”It’s suspicious,”” Sgt.Dan Campossaid. “”Everything is suspicious until we know what went on.””
Information about the man’s identity or how he died has not been released. It also wasn’t immediately clear how long the man had been on the balcony.
It’s standard procedure for detectives to investigate deaths that occur outside the presence of a medical professional.
Steve Burley, director of maintenance for Boulder Creek Elementary School, said the teachers went into a staff meeting with the school superintendent soon after the body was found. He said the teacher who found the dead man “”was shaken up.””
The dead man was not a school employee, according to sheriff’s Sgt.Bill Gazza.
Students were on spring break last week; Monday was supposed to be their first day back since April 2.
Some school staff had been on campus during the vacation, saidJulie Haff, superintendent of San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District, who referred further questions to the Sheriff’s Office.
The balcony is accessible without going into the building, a free-standing classroom facility toward the rear of the school, McClish said.
The school, which serves about 500 students, is in Boulder Creek, in Santa Cruz County.
Second graderNeal Fleck, 7, came to school with his dad and sister to find the campus closed. Fleck said he didn’t know yet why class was canceled, but was happy to have spring break stretch a day longer.
School is planned to be in session on Tuesday, Haff said.
(Staff writerGenevieve Bookwaltercontributed to this report.)
