Hayward authorities have taken a 25-year-old man into custody in connection with a homicide investigation that sprang from a concerned family's request to check on a missing father and son. The investigation began on Wednesday evening when officers were dispatched to perform a welfare check at a location within the 2000 block of American Avenue, Hayward after family members reported that the pair were unexpectedly unreachable, with the father having failed to show up for work that day.
The welfare check escalated into a homicide investigation after officers, unable to receive a response at the residence, gained entry to a warehouse on the property. With a search clause tied to the son, David Sanchez—being on formal probation—the officers took a protective sweep of the premises, which yielded evidence pointing to a shooting homicide. According to the Hayward Police Department, further investigation led them to believe David was responsible for his father's demise.
On the following day, the Oakland Police Department apprehended Sanchez for a different incident, and after statements he made, requested Hayward Police to conduct a welfare check on his father. "Hayward PD Detectives advised Oakland PD Officers about homicide investigation already underway and took custody of Sanchez who was placed under arrest on suspicion of murder," stated the Hayward Police.
After his arrest, Sanchez disclosed the location of his father to the detectives, leading them to discover the deceased 58-year-old male in a dumpster on the 33000 block of Central Avenue in Union City. The identity of the victim remains withheld pending formal identification protocols by the Alameda County Coroner’s Office. The Hayward Police Department encourages anyone with knowledge about the homicide to reach out to Detective Navas at 510-293-7176, marking it as Hayward's 13th homicide of the year.