YUMA, Ariz. — Authorities confirmed today that a U.S. Marine from Maine who was reported missing last week was found dead in a southwest Arizona irrigation canal in Yuma.

The body of Cpl. Joshua Barron, 22, was discovered by a farmer on Monday, said Yuma County Sheriff’s spokesman Capt. Eben Bratcher. He was reported missing on March 16.

There was no sign of trauma on the body, and foul play is not suspected, Bratcher said. Barron was initially identified because his name was tattooed on his shoulder. The Marine Corps helped confirm his identity, and his wife, Natasha Barron, of Standish, Maine, was notified. An autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday.

Barron was wearing civilian clothing, and it appeared his body had been in the canal for at least several days, Bratcher said.

Barron was stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, where he was a Harrier jet mechanic. He lived off base.

His roommate last saw Barron the evening of March 15, said Marine Capt. Staci Reidinger. When Barron failed to show up for work on March 16, his commanding officer checked on him and found he was missing and military investigators were called. Yuma police were notified two days later by his mother, said police spokesman Sgt. Clint Norred.

Advertisement

Natasha Barron told the Yuma Sun that she spoke with her husband at about 5 a.m. on March 16. “I thought he was getting ready for PT and work,” she said. “Usually our phone calls in the morning are short, so I didn’t think anything of it.”

Later in the day, she saw that she had missed a call from her husband’s phone and called him back at about noon. A woman answered the phone, and said she and her husband had found the phone while walking along a canal and were attempting to return it.

Barron was originally from Cumberland, Maine, and joined the Marines in July 2008, according to the service. After training as an aircraft mechanic, he was assigned to the base in Yuma.

The Marine Corps plans a memorial service on Thursday.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.