Countywide

The bodies of two men were found Sunday, one in South San Diego and one near Escondido, and the cause of death in both cases is still unknown, police said.

In the North County case, a helicopter was used to help remove the body of an unidentified white man, which reportedly fits the description of a man missing since Sept. 14. Sheriff’s Department officials said the body was found Saturday morning on Old Highway 395, near Champagne Road and Gopher Canyon Road, by a hiker who called police.

Sgt. Manny Castillo said investigators did not receive enough information from the caller to find the body immediately and took 24 hours to do so.

In South San Diego, a homeowner in the 3400 block of Grogan Circle called police Sunday to report a strong odor coming from an abandoned refrigerator on his property, police said.

When police arrived at the home at 3:15 p.m., they found a badly decomposed male body inside the refrigerator. His identity and cause of death had not been determined, a deputy coroner said Monday evening.