David Eugene Salinas Identified As Man Whose Body Was Found In St. Cloud Park After Police Chase

The guy whose body was discovered in a St. Cloud park a day after a police pursuit this week has been recognized by authorities.

According to a Bureau of Criminal Apprehension news release, David Eugene Salinas, 39, was discovered dead on a trail in Heritage Park early on Tuesday morning after a tip from a bystander.

A day prior, a complaint of a man “possibly using drugs in a car” in a nearby parking lot prompted St. Cloud police to react.

The BCA claims that when the police came, they spoke with Salinas, who gave them a bogus identity. Salinas sprinted toward the nearby Heritage Park as cops informed him that he was being arrested.

Officers attempted to use a Taser on the man during the ensuing chase, but he fled into Heritage Park and was not found.

Later, one Taser probe was discovered in Salinas’s pocket by the medical examiners. The BCA states that for a Taser to function, the two probes must be connected.

When responding to the body report, the police “recognized Salinas as the man they’d chased the night before,” which led St. Cloud Police to request that the BCA handle the investigation.

Although a preliminary autopsy report revealed no evidence of physical trauma, hypothermia, or drowning, Salinas’s cause of death is still unknown.

According to the BCA, Salinas “absconded from the custody of the Minnesota Department of Corrections.” He was wanted on numerous felony warrants.