After doing some sleuthing, the Stanislaus County Coroner's Office has identified the man whose body was found submerged in the TID Main Canal on Tuesday morning.

Deputy Tom Killian of the Coroner's Office said the man was positively identified as Richard Mountinho, 61, of Modesto. Killian said the man was known to be homeless and was often seen sleeping in the shade of trees at the shopping center at Hatch and Mitchell roads. Mountinho was not wearing shoes nor a shirt, only blue jeans with a strip of material through the belt loops at act as a belt. Employees of the shopping center recognized the description of the deceased man. Killian said his office obtained a police mugshot photo of him and showed it to employees who confirmed it was him, along with a fingerprint match.

The body was discovered at 10:03 a.m. by a Ceres man who was riding his bicycle along the canal bank in the 2100 block of Hatch Road near Central Avenue.

A cause of death has not been determined. There were no scrapes or wounds consistent with a victim hitting against canal walls or clawing his way out.

Anyone with information as to how Mountinho ended up in the canal are asked to call the Coroner's Office at 567-4500.