Officials have identified the body found near the railroad tracks on Sunday as 58-year-old Anatolio Barocio, a sporadic patron of Committee on the Shelterless' homeless services.
"He would pop in and get a meal, a change of clothes and a shower every now and again," said COTS CEO Mike Johnson. "We didn't have a lot of contact with him, but he was known to us."
The Sonoma County Coroner's office said it is waiting for toxicology test results before releasing Barocio's cause of death.
Barocio's body was found lying near Caulfield Lane at Hopper Street at about 2:15 p.m. on Dec. 15. Petaluma Police Lt. Tim Lyons said investigators found no signs of suspicious circumstances.
Barocio marks the third apparent transient death in Petaluma since August.
"I'm saddened and sickened by the number of deaths this year among our homeless population," Johnson said Wednesday. "It's strengthened my resolve to reach out to people and let them know we aren't turning anyone away, especially during the cold weather. If we have to bed down people in my office, we'll do that."
In September, a dog walker discovered the body of 60-year-old Petaluma transient James Wood near Willow Brook Creek. He appeared to have been dead for several days.
In August, a woman's skeleton was found on the McNear Peninsula near downtown. The coroner's office said it is still trying to confirm the identity of the mostly decomposed remains using DNA analysis.
(Contact Janelle Wetzstein at janelle.wetzstein@arguscourier.com)
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