Police Say Man Found Dead in Car Appears to Be Suicide Victim

This dark compact car with what appears to be a bullet hole in the driver's side window is the vehicle in which Menifee Police found a deceased male, whom they believe committed suicide late Tuesday afternoon.

An investigation by Menifee Police is ongoing Tuesday night after a man's body was discovered inside a car parked next to the old clubhouse at Menifee Lakes in the 28300 block of Newport Road.

The white male, found in the front seat of a dark-colored compact car, appears to be the victim of a suicide, according to Deputy Armando Munoz of the Menifee Police Department.

"Judging from what investigators found at the scene, they believe it was a suicide, but we have to wait for the coroner's report," Munoz said. "We're not ready to disclose anything else."

Although there is no confirmation of the cause of death, a photo of the vehicle shows what appears to be a bullet hole in the driver's side window (above).

Three neighbors who live just east of the parking lot said they were not home at the time of the incident, which was reported at 5:54 p.m. when a passerby called police to report a "suspicious vehicle." Two others said they didn't see or hear anything.

Shortly before the coroner arrived to remove the body, Lt. Charles Wilhite of the Menifee Police Department said he couldn't disclose details of the death, but that "there is no reason to believe there is a danger to anyone else." The parking lot area from Newport Road back to the lake is roped off during the investigation.