Larry Ely Murillo-Moncada was a 25-year-old man who disappeared in November 2009 and died after becoming trapped behind a 12-foot high supermarket refrigerator unit. He was considered a missing person for almost 10 years before his body was discovered in January 2019 by workers dismantling the store's refrigerators.
| Date | November 28, 2009 – January 24, 2019 |
|---|---|
| Location | Council Bluffs, Iowa, USA |
| Outcome | Body discovered behind supermarket cooler almost 10 years after disappearance |
Disappearance
editAt 6:15pm on November 28, 2009, Larry Ely Murillo-Moncada fled his parents' house in Council Bluffs, Iowa, during a blizzard while reportedly suffering from hallucinations. He was barefoot, wearing only a navy blue hoodie and light blue pants, and did not take his keys or his car. His mother said that he was hearing voices telling him to eat sugar, and believed that his heart was beating too hard and that eating sugar would stop it from beating so hard.[1][2][3]
At the time of his disappearance, Murillo-Moncada was an employee of a local branch of the No Frills supermarket chain, which was located less than a mile from his home, although he was not scheduled to work on the day that he disappeared.[1][4][5] His mother, Ana, said that the day before he disappeared he had returned home from working a Thanksgiving shift and seemed disoriented.[2] His parents also said that they believed he was off his prescription medication, which was causing him to act irrationally.[6] Murillo-Moncada's father, Victor Murillo, said that he and his wife, along with friends, had searched for their son the morning after his disappearance but had found no evidence of his whereabouts.[7]
Discovery
editMurillo-Moncada's body was discovered on the morning of January 24, 2019 by contractors removing the freezer units in the former No Frills store, which had been vacant since 2016.[3][8][9] The remains were not identified as Murillo-Moncada until July, 6 months after they were discovered. The blue clothing found on the body also matched the description of what he was wearing on the day that he disappeared.[1][6]
An investigation into his death concluded that he had climbed on top of the refrigerator units before falling sideways into the 18-inch (45cm) gap between the wall and the back of the coolers, where he became trapped at the bottom of the 12-foot high drop. The noise of the refrigerator units also made it unlikely that anyone would have heard any cries for help.[3] Former employees also said that it was not unusual for people to be in the area on top of the coolers, which was used for storage, and many employees used the area to take unofficial breaks.[1][10] It was also not uncommon for employees to enter and exit the store even when they were not on their shifts.[9][11] The cooler was located in a back room of the store and was not in public view.[4]
Sergeant Brandon Danielson, who had been assigned to investigate Murillo-Moncada's disappearance in 2009, said that his mother had long suspected that he did not leave the store on the day he went missing.[1][5] Police had contacted other law enforcement agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as Murillo-Moncada had previously been deported to Honduras before returning to the United States.[6] During the initial investigation in 2009, Police had also visited the No Frills store where Murillo-Moncada's body lay undiscovered, but had left without further investigation after his boss told them that he had not seen him and he was not scheduled to work that day.[2][4]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e "Grocery worker found in shop where he worked after 10-year search". BBC News. July 23, 2019. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
- ^ a b c Chiu, Allyson. "A supermarket worker vanished 10 years ago. He was trapped behind a cooler the whole time". jacksonville.com. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
- ^ a b c Snuggs, Tania (July 25, 2019). "Supermarket worker's body found behind freezer 10 years after his disappearance". Sky News. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
- ^ a b c Shapiro, Emily (July 23, 2019). "10 years after he disappeared, Iowa man is found dead at vacant store where he used to work: Police". ABC News. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
- ^ a b "Grocery store employee missing for 10 years found behind store's cooler". ABC 13. July 23, 2019. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
- ^ a b c Kim, Allen (July 23, 2019). "Grocery store employee missing for 10 years found behind store's cooler". CNN. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
- ^ Kim, Allen (July 24, 2019). "A father wants answers after his missing son's body was found in an abandoned grocery store". CNN. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
- ^ "Body found in old supermarket building in Council Bluffs". KCCI. January 24, 2019. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
- ^ a b Johnson, Alex (July 23, 2019). "Body found behind cooler in abandoned grocery store is man who went missing nine years ago". NBC News. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
- ^ Elliott, Josh K. (July 23, 2019). "Body of grocery store clerk missing for 10 years found behind cooler". Global News. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
- ^ Richardson, Ian. "Body found behind cooler at former Council Bluffs supermarket identified as man who went missing 10 years ago". Des Moines Register. Retrieved December 3, 2024.