DEAD MAN DISCOVERED IN DITCH.

Byline: Sue Doyle Staff Writer

CASTAIC - A Castaic pastor made a grim discovery Saturday afternoon when he found a dead man lying in a drainage ditch, next to a sleepy residential area.

Los Angeles County sheriff's homicide detectives were called out to investigate the death, but there was no immediate word on who the man is or how he died.

Jeff Craig of First Baptist Church of Castaic was driving when he saw two human feet in a culvert. He turned his van around to check it out and saw the man lying on his side.

``I looked down at him and noticed he wasn't moving and called 911,'' the 33-year-old pastor said.

The corner of The Old Road and Church Street remained taped off late into the afternoon as Los Angeles County sheriff's officials investigated the scene.

Church Street residents clustered together to discuss the find. From farther away, some stood on their toes to catch a glimpse into the ditch. Neighbors wondered when and how the body got there, saying they hadn't noticed it earlier in the day.

Next to the ditch where the man was found, bulldozers and grading equipment sat behind a chain-link fence where a construction project is just beginning. Cars racing past on Interstate 5 could be heard from across the street.

California Highway Patrol officials blocked off traffic at the intersection of Parker Road and The Old Road, about a block away from where the body was discovered.

Thirteen-year-old Tanner Lyon ventured outside to see what was happening after he saw the squad cars cruising down the street.

``I thought they might be shooting something from 'CSI,''' he said, referring to the CBS drama about forensic science.

Other residents noted that a Canyon Country man was found dead Thursday in the back of his pickup truck. They wondered what was happening to the usually peaceful Santa Clarita area.

Castaic resident Gina Marino said that sometimes people walk along the road at night to local bars. She said the area is also a popular rest stop for truckers who pull off the freeway and catch a few winks on the back roads.

``This is not a good thing,'' Marino said. ``It's not a good thing for us here.''

Sue Doyle, [phone]

sue.doyle(at)dailynews.com