Daily News of Los Angeles
August 13, 1993
BORON - The man whose body was discovered at a rest stop on Highway 58 three miles west of Boron has been identified as George Kirwin Van Pelt, whose last known residence was Hot Springs, S.D., officials said Thursday.
Van Pelt, believed to be a transient, was killed early Wednesday by a blow to the head, officials said. A state highway worker found his body about 6 a.m. on the ground near a picnic table, officials said.
The victim had been seen at the rest stop for the past five days, salvaging aluminum cans and washing windshields for trucks. Detectives believe he was trying to raise money so he could continue his travels.
Van Pelt's death brought Kern County's 1993 homicide total to 55, Assistant Coroner Noreen King said - the same as for all of 1992.