Body found in Whitley Co. identified

WHITLEY COUNTY, Ind. (WANE) - NewsChannel 15 has confirmed the identity of a man found dead in Whitley County. Authorities identified the body as 24-year-old René Hernandez of Fort Wayne.

A spokesman for the Allen County Sheriff’s Department told NewsChannel 15 that an outstanding warrant for Hernandez was listed on Wednesday as “un-servable” because the subject is deceased in Whitley County.

NewsChannel 15 learned that Hernandez had an extensive criminal history in Allen County. Steve Stone with the Allen County Sheriff’s Department said Hernandez had been arrested on several occasions dating back to 1999. Those arrests related to multiple offenses like criminal recklessness, domestic battery and dealing marijuana.

An official announcement of the body’s identification was released late Wednesday afternoon by the Whitley County Coroner.  The manner of death was not released other than that the case is being treated as a homicide.

Just before four o'clock Friday, a property owner called the Whitley County Sheriff's Department to report finding a body in the woods about a quarter-mile west of County Road 700 East on County Road 400 South.

The Whitley County Sheriff's Department said they believe the body was in the woods for at least a month. Police said it was found in two pieces.  The coroner was not able to answer why the body was found that way.