The body was found in a remote eucalyptus grove about 100 feet from Cannon Road, which remained closed much of the day as crime scene investigators inspect the area.
"A passerby was in the area right off of 101 on Cannon Drive here in San Benito County, gets down from his vehicle and sees what he believes is a dead body about 100 feet or so off the roadway," Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department spokesperson Jose Cardoza said.
Cardoza handles media relations for the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department, which was called in to assist.
"San Benito County sheriff's, they were pretty short staffed today so they did reach out to us as part of a mutual aid request, not only for additional resources such as CSI, but also for spokesman and media purposes," he said.
Although there were concerns that the body could be that of Sierra LaMar, the teen that went missing from Morgan Hill in March, sources close to the investigation tell ABC7 News they are confident it is not her. Cardoza says their assistance being requested had nothing to do with LaMar.
Authorities say it is a homicide investigation, but would not comment on specifics about the condition of the body or its age. Sources say the body is a young, Hispanic female.
Those who live near the spot where the body was discovered aren't surprised to hear what happened.
"Seems like a good spot for it because there's nobody around here; last week there was a mattress, so it's always something," Brian Plumleigh said.
"It's wooded; a lot people hike and ride horses through here and it's right next to the freeway, so it's not unlikely that someone could dump a body and get on the freeway and go," Tamara Pyzak said.
Sources say the body was dumped at the location and it does not appear to be the location where the original crime was committed.
