Rainbow

An Escondido man was found shot dead early Monday in an isolated area of Rainbow. Shortly after 2 a.m. Monday, sheriff’s deputies found the body of Javier Manuel Zarte, 20, in brush about 300 yards north of the roadway in the 800 block of Rice Canyon Road. Although coroner’s deputies have not completed an autopsy, Zarte apparently died of multiple gunshot wounds, a San Diego County Sheriff’s Department spokesman said.

Zarte, an unemployed roofer, was reported missing about 3 p.m. Sunday by two juvenile companions, the spokesman said. Sheriff’s homicide detectives are investigating the slaying, which is believed to be related to marijuana cultivation in the area, the spokesman said.