San Bruno B.A.R.T.

  A Redwood City boy was found dead on the Caltrain tracks after he was struck by a train Monday night.

  Jose Luis Flores, 17, was reportedly hit near a crossing in the area of Whipple Avenue at about 7:20 p.m., San Mateo County Coroner's Office officials said.

  The death was reported to the coroner's office at 8:30 p.m.

  At least two or three trains passed through the area before Flores' remains were spotted by an engineer at about 8:15 p.m., Caltrain spokesman Jonah Weinberg said.

  Train traffic was stopped in both directions until around 10:30 p.m.

  "It took two hours to investigate. Whenever there is a death on the tracks, it automatically becomes a crime scene," Weinberg said.

  It remains unclear whether Flores' death was an accident or suicide, Weinberg said.

  The teen's death is the first on Caltrain tracks this year, Weinberg said.

  In 2007, there were eight deaths on the tracks -- six suicides and two accidents.

  Flores' sister, Christian Pinon, 22, said she received the tragic news at about 11:40 p.m. Monday in a frantic phone call from her mother.

  His family last saw him at 6:20 p.m. that day.

  "This is something that is very hard for the whole family," Pinon said.

  "We have no idea what he was doing on the train tracks. We want to think it was an accident. We don't want to think he committed suicide."

  Pinon said that she, Jose and her two other brothers Ignacio, 20, and Gilberto, 18, were very close.

  She described Jose as the quiet type who liked to play video games. He frequently wrote to Ignacio, who is serving in Iraq as a U.S. Marine, she added.

  Ignacio is on his way back for the funeral and should be home Thursday, Pinon said.

  She declined to say what funeral arrangements have been made.

  Flores, who has a history of mental illness, was reported missing in late July, when he disappeared for about three days after becoming distraught over Ignacio's deployment earlier that month.

  He had also run away at least once previously, turning up later at Moffett Field in Mountain View and telling police he had been looking for Ignacio.

  Flores attended Achieve Kids school in Palo Alto, Pinon said.

  Achieve Kids is a special education school that teaches children ages 5 to 22, said Tulin Melton, the school's development director.

  There are mental health experts on staff who can help the children cope with the loss, she said.

  "Clearly, staff and students are very saddened by his loss and he will be missed," Melton said.

E-mail Mark Abramson at mabramson@dailynewsgroup.com.