Skip to main content
Clear icon
63º

Decomposed body found floating face down inside water diversion tank at SAWS treatment plant, police say

Police don’t suspect foul play

A file photo of an SAPD vehicle. (KSAT)

SAN ANTONIO – The body of a missing man was found floating inside a water diversion tank at San Antonio Water System’s treatment plant property, according to San Antonio police.

The discovery was made around 9 a.m. on Saturday at the Leon Creek Water Recycling Facility.

Recommended Videos



A worker was checking the water diversion tank and noticed a body floating in the water face down.

Police said the worker notified another person to confirm that what he found was a human body since mannequins are sometimes found in the water tank.

The two concluded that the discovery was a human body and called police.

The San Antonio Fire Department’s Hazmat Unit responded to the scene to remove the body because it was located inside a sewage tank, police said.

When the body was removed from the tank, it had obvious signs of decomposition, but there were not any trauma-inflicted wounds.

SAPD determined that the unidentified man suffered an apparent sudden death.

The day before the body was found inside the tank, a worker found a backpack with credit cards and two cell phones next to it.

When police entered the name on the credit cards through a computerized system, it returned as a missing person.


About the Author
Spencer Heath headshot

Spencer Heath is a Digital Journalist at KSAT. Spencer graduated from the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied Radio-Television-Film. He’s worked as a journalist in San Antonio since June of 2022. Outside the newsroom, he enjoys watching movies and spending time with family.

Recommended Videos