A man arrested on a DUI charge was found dead in bushes near the main Santa Barbara County Jail a week after he was released from custody.
David Mireles was arrested August 19 by CHP and booked into the jail. He was released the morning of August 20.
Hours after he was released, CHP notified the Sheriff’s Office that the 53-year-old man had been reported missing from Kern County. A search was launched around the jail property and nearby areas frequented by people released from custody. No sign of him was found.
Thursday, a jail employee spotted what appeared to be a person beneath some brush on a hillside adjacent to the Santa Barbara facility. It was Mireles, who was pronounced dead at the scene. There were no signs of foul play, and an autopsy is pending. He had multiple medical issues. It’s believed Mireles had been there since his release from jail.
