The UC Berkeley alum who went missing last week was found dead Thursday, media outlets reported this weekend.

Police had been looking for Elgin Stafford since he was last seen at his home in Carson, Calif. on March 20. On Thursday, Stafford, 23, was found dead in the Dominguez Channel in Carson, according to the Daily Breeze.

According to the Breeze, the body was so badly decomposed when it was pulled out of the water that investigators could not immediately determine the man’s age and identity. Authorities later confirmed it was Stafford.

Stafford, who graduated from UC Berkeley, was enrolled in a public policy program at the University of Southern California until he withdrew in January, according to USC’s newspaper the Daily Trojan.

Homicide detectives are still trying to figure out Stafford’s cause of death, and have not determined whether it was a homicide or an accident, according to the Breeze.

“Every student is very precious to us and has great potential, said USC’s Vice President for Student Affairs Michael Jackson in a statement posted on the Daily Trojan on Saturday. “We are sorry that Elgin’s life journey has ended in such a tragic way.”