Authorities in California this week were seeking the public’s help to solve the killing of a man whose body was found in a fetal position, wrapped in a blanket and stuffed in a suitcase.
The Oakland Police Department released the identity of the victim found by volunteers on Halloween as 23-year-old Gabriel Gomez Raymundo. His body was found in a blue suitcase floating in Lake Merritt in the 1900 block of Lakeshore Avenue, authorities said in a news release.
“OPD is asking for the community’s assistance with any information about Mr. Gomez Raymundo (where he lived, worked, associates, etc.), as well as any tips surrounding his death,” police said in the release.
Gabriel Gomez Raymundo (Crime scene photo from the Bay Area’s Fox affiliate KTVU; victim’s photos from Oakland Police Department)
Officials were offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest in the homicide case. Details about the cause and manner of death were not revealed. Police asked anyone with information to contact the Oakland Police Department Homicide Section at (510) 238-3821 or the TIP LINE at (510) 238-7950.
Police began investigating the suspicious death before 11 a.m. on Oct. 31. The communications division received a call reporting a body in the 1900 block of Lakeshore Avenue, authorities said.
Once there, officers found the victim with unknown injuries and requested medical assistance. Homicide investigators arrived and launched a probe.
Oakland police Capt. Alan Yu told Bay Area Fox affiliate KTVU then that investigators didn’t know who the victim was and had scant information.
“Part of the investigation is trying to determine where the body could have floated from. It could be any part of the lake, and we’re looking at all those possible outcomes,” Yu said.
Authorities have since learned the man was from Guatemala and had lived in the country for about eight years, the San Jose Mercury News reported. The paper reported he appeared to be homeless.
Volunteers found the partially submerged suitcase on Halloween while cleaning a shore.
“We said, ‘Wow! Wow! This thing is heavy,’” volunteer Kevin Shomo, 71, told the Mercury News. “Normally, we see luggage in the lake, and sometimes it’s full of clothes. Nothing like this.”
They opened the suitcase, saw a body covered in a sheet and immediately called 911.
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