A body found near the railroad tracks Saturday morning has been identified as a 21-year-old Turlock man.
The Stanislaus County Coroner’s Office confirmed the identity of the deceased as Aundre Rawlins.
Rawlins’ body was discovered at 8:18 a.m. Saturday near the Union Pacific Railroad tracks along Golden State Boulevard north of Fulkerth Road, said Turlock Police spokesperson Sgt. Stephen Webb.
The deceased was found out in the open and appears to have been dead for about eight to 12 hours before being discovered, Webb said.
Rawlins was a native of Turlock, attending Wakefield Elementary and Turlock Junior High School before graduating from Roselawn High School in 2012. It was in school that Rawlins developed an interest in drawing, leading him to sketch out on paper anything that inspired him, said his step-grandfather Bert Haney.
“He was a good kid,” Haney said. “He liked riding his bike around and he loved music. He could dance to anything.”
Haney said Rawlins’ biggest attribute was to make people smile, and it is something his family is sorely missing since his death.
“He had an aura about him that made people smile,” Haney said. “He could take the saddest moment and still make you smile. It’s something we could use now.”
The cause of death is still under investigation, though Haney said they have reason to believe it was an accident involving a train.
The family will be holding car washes over the next few days to help cover funeral expenses. They’ll be set up at the Circle J store on Golden State Boulevard, north of Fulkerth Road, not far from where Rawlins was found, Haney said. A Go Fund Me page has also been set up at http://www.gofundme.com/h96ewh9vy7q.
Anyone with information about Rawlins’ death is asked to contact Turlock Police Detective James Brewer at 664-7331, or via email at jbrewer@turlock.ca.us.
The Turlock Police Department is an active participant in the Crime Stoppers Program. Callers can leave an anonymous tip by calling Crime Stoppers at 521-4636 and may be eligible for a cash reward.
