Police Sgt. Fred Sato, left, the Department of Public Safety public information officer, and acting DPS Commissioner Anthony Macaranas conduct a press conference Friday afternoon.
THE body of Juan S. Salas, who was reported missing on Wednesday, was found Friday morning in the Suicide Cliff area in Marpi.
Firefighter 3 Robert Mojica said Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services personnel rappelled from the top of the cliff and found the body halfway to the bottom, about 300 feet below the cliff line.
In a press briefing, Department of Public Safety Acting Commissioner Anthony Macaranas said the body was transported to the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp., where it was identified by Salas’s wife.
A resident of Gualo Rai, Salas, 65, was reported missing by his family members on Wednesday, May 1, 2024 when he did not respond to the call of his wife who came home at around 4:30 p.m.
His family members then went around the island to look for him, and found his truck in the Suicide Cliff area between 6 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
At 7:30 p.m., the family reported Salas as missing, Macaranas said.
On Thursday, May 2, the DPS Criminal Investigation Bureau and a quick response team met to come up with a course of action that included the participation of other law enforcement and protection agencies such as the Division of Customs and Biosecurity and DFEMS, Macaranas said.
He added that the Saipan Mayor’s Office and a significant number of volunteers also joined the search for Salas.
Macaranas said before 10 a.m., Friday, he was informed that a body had been found.
He said investigation was ongoing so he could not divulge more specific information, except that the victim sustained injuries that appeared to have resulted from a fall. An autopsy was being conducted on Friday, he added.
For his part, the DPS public information officer, Police Sgt. Fred Sato, thanked the officials and personnel of DFEMS, Customs and Biosecurity, the Saipan Mayor’s Office, the Department of Commerce-Alcoholic Beverage and Tobacco Control and the many volunteers “who really put out a big effort” in finding Salas.
