At about 6:12am Tuesday morning, Turlock Police Officer Khounlivong was flagged down in the alleyway behind the 100 block of S. First Street.

Khounlivong was advised by a Turlock Scavenger employee who was on his route collecting garbage, that he had located a possibly deceased man near a dumpster.

Turlock Fire and American Medical Response were immediately requested, but the man was displaying obvious signs of death and was declared deceased at 6:20am.

As an officer was leaving the scene, he was flagged down by a transient stating that the decedent may have a relative sleeping in a tent in the 100 block of S. Broadway. The decedent was then able to be identified as Adrian Nerenberg, 39, of Turlock.

Nerenberg is a transient who according to court records, has been causing issues in Turlock since at least 2016. He was also on probation for aggravated assault.

Just a few days prior to his death, on Thursday, January 11th, police had responded to Central Park in the 100 block of S. Golden State Boulevard for a man throwing things at the camera early in the morning. Nerenberg was found nearby and contacted, but it’s still unclear if he was who was throwing things.

At the time, Nerenberg had a misdemeanor warrant for possession of methamphetamines and possession of drug paraphernalia, so he was arrested and booked into the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center. A few hours after his booking, he was cited and released by the jail. Had he still been in custody, he likely would’ve still been alive.

A deputy coroner responded to the scene and took possession of Nerenberg’s body. As of noon Wednesday, his cause of death was still undetermined according to the Stanislaus County Coroner’s Office.

The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information that could assist in it is encouraged to call Officer Andy Khounlivong at 209-668-1200.