Two San Jose men are now behind bars in connection with the city's third homicide of the year after a decomposed body turned up in an RV earlier this month, the San Jose Police Department said. Officials reported that Marco Espinoza, 27, and Michael Anaya, 30, were apprehended by officers from the Special Operations M.E.R.G.E. Unit on January 19, following a thorough investigation sparked by the grotesque discovery. The victim, found on Kruse Drive and Montague Expressway, was initially not visibly a victim of foul play, the corpse was in such an advanced state of decay that officers on the scene were unable to determine the cause of death at first glance and it was left to the Santa Clara County Coroner's Office to unravel the morbid mystery.
The grim twist came six days later when the coroner's office, upon closer examination of the remains, found physical trauma and thus ruled the death a homicide, catch the SJPD Homicide Unit detectives' immediate attention, and had them hot on the trail of Espinoza and Anaya. Aided by evidence collected at the scene and further investigations, detectives managed to obtain warrants for the suspects' arrests and within two days the men were in custody, booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail for homicide. The motive behind the killing remains unclear and the SJPD continues to dig for answers.
Following the gruesome find that occurred on January 11, the community had been on edge, and now authorities are calling for anyone with information on this case to come forward. In an appeal for public assistance, Detective Lieutenant Vallejo, Detective Sergeant Martinez, and Detective Harrington are taking leads via email and a dedicated phone line. The SJPD underscores the anonymous nature of crime tips submission through the P3TIPS mobile app, the tip line, or the Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers' website, with the added incentive of a cash reward for information leading to an arrest.
