Luis Carrillo was 30 years old when he died on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2008, in South San Jose Hills, an unincorporated community in the eastern San Gabriel Valley. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died of stab wounds at 19004 La Puente Road. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a case of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
When the Los Angeles Times Homicide Report first wrote about the case, he had not yet been named. The report said that "an unidentified 30-year-old Latino man was found stabbed to death near La Puente Road and Nogales Street at 10:19 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 23." It added that "Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department investigators said they have no motive or suspect."
The coroner later identified him as Luis Carrillo.
The fact that he was at first unidentified suggests that he may not have been carrying identification when he was found, or that no one at the scene knew who he was, but the record does not explain the delay. It does not say who found him, whether he died at the scene, or whether he lived in the neighborhood.
Beyond his name, his age and the place where he died, almost nothing about Luis Carrillo has been made public. No obituary, memorial page or family fundraiser could be found for this story, and no news outlet appears to have reported on the death. He surely had family, friends or neighbors who remember who he was, but none of that has entered the public record. Luis Carrillo is also a very common name. It is shared by a well-known Southern California civil rights attorney, a San Jose business owner charged in a drug case years later and many men whose obituaries appear in other states, none of whom has any connection to this death.
Because so little was released, the basic circumstances remain unknown. The record does not say whether he was stabbed during a fight or a robbery, attacked by a stranger or by someone he knew, or whether anyone saw what happened. Investigators said at the time that they had no motive or suspect, and nothing released since then suggests that changed.
South San Jose Hills is a small unincorporated community between La Puente, Walnut and West Covina, made up mostly of single-family homes on hilly streets. La Puente Road and Nogales Street are two of the main roads through the area, and their intersection is surrounded by homes, small shopping centers and schools. Because the community is unincorporated, police services come from the Sheriff's Department rather than a city police force.
Hundreds of people are killed in Los Angeles County every year, and a large share of those killings end without an arrest.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Luis Carrillo could be found in news archives or public records. More than 17 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who knew a 30-year-old named Luis Carrillo, or who was near La Puente Road and Nogales Street on the night of Sept. 23, 2008, may hold information that could help detectives. Even a small detail, such as a name overheard, a vehicle seen nearby or a conversation remembered, can help detectives move a case forward. Anyone with information can contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500, or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
