The body of a man with a gunshot wound found in the Salt River Project Canal in Tempe on Thursday has been identified as Jeffrey Allen Ahlers, the 47-year-old man who was reported missing on Tuesday morning.
At 3 p.m., a Salt River Project employee discovered Ahlers' body in the western canal near Kyrene and Baseline roads, according to Tempe police.
However, it is not known at this time whether the man's death is a homicide or a suicide, according to Tempe police.
Ahlers had left his residence in the 4800 block of S. La Rosa about 6 a.m. on Tuesday for his morning walk, but did not return home. Ahlers' family told police he normally walked along the canal and bike paths in the area, but it was unusual for him not to return home.
Police are still investigating Ahlers' death and the Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office will determine his cause of death, police said.
