Body found near iconic Round Rock in Brushy Creek

UPDATE: The deceased male has been identified as 40-year-old Agustin Ortiz Jr. 

Some people walking in a Round Rock park made a gruesome discovery Thursday afternoon. Police said they found the body of a man in Brushy Creek off of Chisholm Trail Road. Those who work in the area said the body was found right next to the iconic Round Rock in the creek. Round Rock Police are working to find out who the man is and how he died.

Marty Bender works in an office building in Old Town Square next to the creek and said something seemed off when he made his way into work that morning. “Our office looks out into that green space and there was a jeep type vehicle that was parked there, that it's not normally anybody park there because it's private property.” Just a few hours later, he knew his instincts were right. “The police were down there, they closed the road here that drives by the Round Rock, both sides they had it taped off,” he said.         

Sgt. Tom Sloan of the Round Rock Police Department said some people were walking along the trail when they saw what they thought was a body or mannequin. “Firefighters and police responded, were able to locate the subject and made the determination that it was a deceased male.” Sgt. Sloan said some people showed up to the scene upset and worried as they have a family member they said went missing a couple nights ago. The jeep found near the park, Sgt. Sloan said is related to the man, and was towed away. He said they are not sure how long the body has been there but this is normally a safe area many people go to on a daily basis. “I would like to say it's a safe park, there are people walking every day. There are dads and their children fishing in the park. It's not uncommon for any other park in the city. It’s where families go and children go to play where people go for outdoor activities,” he said.

Whether the circumstances were suspicious or not, Round Rock Police have not yet determined that. But Bender says it’s just an unfortunate situation no matter what. “It's kind of sad, knowing that you work by here and there was this mishap whether it was foul play or his own taking, we just don't know at this point,” he said.

Round Rock Police said they will release the name of the man as soon as they positively ID him and notify family members.