ESCONDIDO -- A man whose badly decomposed body was found Oct. 4 in a deep ravine off Lake Wohlford Road has been identified as a missing Escondido man, police said Thursday.

Detective Lt. David Mankin said the remains of 26-year-old Daniel William Parsons was identified by his thumbprints.

"This is a suspicious death," and police are investigating it as a homicide, Mankin said. "The medical examiner hasn't determined the cause of death yet."

Police have been searching for Parsons, last seen the night of Sept. 2 as he left a friend's home in the 1300 block of Date Street.

Four days after Parsons disappeared, San Diego County sheriff's deputies found his white 1992 Toyota Celica, stripped and abandoned, in a remote San Pasqual area.

"It had been ransacked, but there were no signs of foul play, blood," said Mankin.

He said detectives don't have a suspect in the case yet, but that there were fingerprints on the car.

"They have not all been analyzed," the lieutenant said.

The medical examiner hasn't been able to determine the cause of death because the body was so ravaged by decomposition after being in the ravine for so long, Mankin said. Police said animals had damaged the remains, as well.

County road crews who smelled something decaying spotted the body that morning in the 100-foot-deep ravine. Police said no identification or personal effects were found.

Mankin said there also weren't any readily available signs of trauma to the body. Medical examiner investigators had to rehydrate the dead man's thumbs to get the print that led to his identification, the lieutenant said.

Escondido police homicide Sgt. Chris Wynn said that Parson's family told police in the days after he was missing that it was very unusual for him not to be in contact with his family.

Wynn said at the time, "He checks in frequently with his family. He spends most of the day with his mom who is convalescing."

Mankin said Parsons did not have an occupation. Besides his mother, Parsons is survived by other family members, including some in Escondido.

Police are asking anyone with information to call (760) 839-4717.

Contact staff writer Jo Moreland at (760) 740-3524 or jmoreland@nctimes.com. Contact staff writer Yvette Urrea at (760) 901-4076 or yurrea@nctimes.com.