Man's body found in ditch in North Austin

An investigation is underway after a man was found dead in North Austin Tuesday afternoon. Police say his body was discovered near Clayton Lane and Middle Fiskville Road.

Daniel Mejia was trimming brush near the Austin Community College when a foul odor coming from the ditch he was working in caught his attention. 

“Smelled like really strong like dead animal or something like that,” Meija said.

Moments later, he stumbled on a body. 

“As I'm cutting I'm trying to peep in to see what we see,” Meija said. “I saw a dead body I saw some legs and a foot." 

At first he wasn't sure what it was. 

"I don't know, a mannequin,” Meija said.

Shortly after, Austin police were called out to the scene. For hours, parts of the streets were blocked off while authorities conducted their investigation. 

“When I first saw the body I was kind of freaked out I felt bad for whoever that was," Meija said.

It would be well into the evening when first responders would arrive. Equipped with HAZMAT suits, they collected bags filled with clothing. 

Authorities took ladder and rope down into the ditch to remove the body. 

Mejia says the body seemed to have been there for awhile. 

"Probably been there for over a week,” Meija said. “So the outside looked like it was decomposing for a while." 

At this point it is not clear how the man's body got there or who he is. A couple people in the area say the ditch where the body was found is a popular place for homeless people to gather.

The investigation is ongoing.