Identified! IA - Council Bluffs, mummified body behind a refrigerator, 24 Jan 2019 - Larry Ely Murillo-Moncada

[Darling136]

Just after 10 a.m. Thursday, police received a call that a body was found inside a shuttered No Frills Supermarket.

Contractors found the body inside as they were removing shelving and coolers.

Officials said the body had been there for several years and was mummified.

Authorities have no idea if the body is male or female and don’t know if the death is suspicious.

The Iowa State Medicals Examiner’s Office has ordered an autopsy on the body.

Mummified body discovered in old supermarket location

 

[FireOwl9]

This reminds me of Silling Man's case....:shudders:

 

[Pennysmom1]

No Frills closed the West Broadway store in 2016

Body found as workers clear out former No Frills in Council Bluffs

 

[carbuff]

Mohama Baba went missing in 2005 from about two miles down the road (map Google Maps):

Missing Person Case

But if the store has only been closed since 2016, it seems unlikely the body was there before that.

 

[Wilma_W]

The Iowa Cold Cases site has more:

Missing Persons in Iowa | Iowa Cold Cases

There are two from early 2017 that are missing from Council Bluffs - very little information (Jeffery A. Becker and Carrie L. Lustgraaf); one from October 2017 (Uriah Hardisty); one from April 2018 (Carl Caligur). Then before that there is Larry Murillo from 2009.

But Council Bluffs is right across the right across the river from Omaha, and there are lots of Omaha missing in Namus.

Something about the way they said they found the body - when they were removing shelves and coolers - makes it sound like it was well hidden. So maybe it was there before the store was closed.

 

[carbuff]

Hm, you're right, that does sound like a possibility.

Hope they release some more information soon.

 

[madamx]

Apparently the body had been there for several years and was mummified. Officials have no idea if the body was male or female. They also don't know if the death is suspicious or not.
Mummified Body Found In Iowa Grocery Store

 

[YaYa_521]

WilmaW suggested the UID could have come from Omaha given its proximity to Council Bluffs. I am not familiar with the area but mapping it out seemed as though WilmaW may be on to something. Good job, sleuther!

No Frills closed in/around mid-March of 2016. My theory is that the UID took shelter in the abandoned store then passed away naturally while resting peacefully. Although that theory leaves me wondering why the UID would position his/her body between shelving and coolers unless it was to strategically hide from the window front view. The following two MPs might be this UID.

Merle Glenn Saul was last seen around Oct. 1, 2015 in Omaha. Mr. Saul is a 55yo homeless Am. Indian/Alaska Native who was wearing a 'Veterans' hat. There are more details on his NamUs page but we have no descriptive information on this UID's mummified body. It seems logical to me that Mr. Saul could have taken shelter in mid-march'16 then naturally passed away between then and the recent discovery of the UID. The reporting party was last in contact with him in Oct. '15. It's reasonable to think that by March 2016 he made himself a home at No Frills' building. His MP report was filed in Feb.'16 right as he was leaving Omaha for Council Bluffs intending to return for a visit after he got settled in and got a ride back to Omaha. However, before that all could happen he passed away inside of his new home.

Mark Henry Estee was last in contact with others around a year before he was reported missing in January 2016. He too is homeless in the Omaha area. NamUs notes he is an drug and alcohol addict. I doubt he would have taken shelter here prior to the store's closing and was already missing for over a year in mid-march '16. But, I've seen/read around here about stranger things happening, so who knows?.?. I'll take a long shot on Mr. Estee if Mr. Saul isn't this UID.

Ya think I'm on the right path here? Hopefully they'll release identifying info when they're done infestigating. Or maybe investigating. haha

 

[YaYa_521]

The Iowa Cold Cases site has more:

Missing Persons in Iowa | Iowa Cold Cases

There are two from early 2017 that are missing from Council Bluffs - very little information (Jeffery A. Becker and Carrie L. Lustgraaf); one from October 2017 (Uriah Hardisty); one from April 2018 (Carl Caligur). Then before that there is Larry Murillo from 2009.

But Council Bluffs is right across the right across the river from Omaha, and there are lots of Omaha missing in Namus.

Something about the way they said they found the body - when they were removing shelves and coolers - makes it sound like it was well hidden. So maybe it was there before the store was closed.

Great MP suggestions and suggesting the Omaha connection! Thanks, you made me get interested in this case based on that point.

 

[PastTense]

"Council Bluffs police have released the identity of the body found in a vacant Council Bluffs grocery store in January... The identity of the deceased is Larry Ely Murillo-Moncada of Council Bluffs... The State Lab was able to make a positive identification by analyzing DNA collected from Murillo’s biological parents.

On Nov. 28, 2009, Murillo’s parents reported him to be missing after he became upset and ran out of their home; he was 25 years old at the time of that report. Murillo was employed at No Frills Supermarket at the time of his disappearance. The autopsy indicated no signs of trauma to Murillo, police said.

In speaking to former employees of No Frills, it was common for workers to be on top of the coolers, as the space was utilized for storage of goods, police said. Investigators believe that Murillo went to the store after leaving his home and climbed on top of the coolers, where he fell into an approximate 18-inch gap between the back of the cooler and a wall, getting trapped."
Police announce name, cause of death for body found in empty No Frills; autopsy finds 'no signs of trauma'

You wonder how long he was still alive calling for help--but no help came! What a truly horrible way to die!

Larry was one of the 3 Wilma_W listed from the Iowa Cold Cases site.

 

[Pennysmom1]

Oh my gosh, how horrific! I am happy the family can finally bury their loved one, but I don't think I could ever get over thinking about this tragic way to die!

 

[Bit of hope]

The Iowa Cold Cases site has more:

Missing Persons in Iowa | Iowa Cold Cases

There are two from early 2017 that are missing from Council Bluffs - very little information (Jeffery A. Becker and Carrie L. Lustgraaf); one from October 2017 (Uriah Hardisty); one from April 2018 (Carl Caligur). Then before that there is Larry Murillo from 2009.

But Council Bluffs is right across the right across the river from Omaha, and there are lots of Omaha missing in Namus.

Something about the way they said they found the body - when they were removing shelves and coolers - makes it sound like it was well hidden. So maybe it was there before the store was closed.

Who would have thought Larry could have been this UID. How sad. Wilma_W your were right on to it.

 

[Wilma_W]

1. This is just SO sad. Prayers for his family.

2. He must have been there since 2009. YIKES.

I'm glad the case is closed though.

 

[Laughing]

1. This is just SO sad. Prayers for his family.

2. He must have been there since 2009. YIKES.

I'm glad the case is closed though.

In my state, sanitarians inspect grocery stores at least annually.

How creepy is this???

RIP, Mr. Murillo-Moncada, peace & comfort to your family & friends; also your No Frills co-workers & shoppers.

 

[dotr]

A supermarket worker vanished 10 years ago. He was trapped behind a cooler the whole time

At 6:15 p.m. on that frigid November day, Murillo-Moncada rushed out the door wearing no shoes or socks, dressed only in a navy blue hoodie and light blue pants, according to the Daily Nonpareil. He left behind his keys and car. Washington Post

 

[Bit of hope]

This case is really shocking...

 

[LurkingSleuther]

10 years behind a cooler in a supermarket? This case is unfathomable. No wonder the detective never found any good leads -- he was always going to be spinning in circles on this one.

Feel for the family. At least they can honor his life now instead of never knowing.

 

[tatertot]

May Larry Rest in Peace.

None of the following is intended to disrespect the victim nor to imply foul play, but as a grocery store stockperson myself, I agree with LurkingSleuther in the post above that some elements of this are unfathomable.

Since the autopsy showed no signs of trauma, that seemingly rules out a mortal injury such as a skull fracture that was caused by falling the 12 feet into the gap between the cooler and the wall. So if LM was not incapacitated by the fall, how did nobody hear any cries for help that he made? It's been said that the cooler's compressor fans were loud, but it's doubtful they were ear-protection-level loud, and AFAIK compressors run on cycles, which would leave periods of (relative) quiet.

Why was LM not able to shimmy up the 12-foot space by bracing his back against one surface and his feet and hands against the other? It's been said the gap was 18 inches wide and at 6 feet tall and 140 pounds, LM had a rather slim build so it's doubtful he could have become stuck in the space due to body size.

If the workers often used the coolers to access the storage area and sneaked back there for breaks, how would nobody up there have heard him? Or why didn't he remove some clothing, ball it up and toss it over the cooler to the other side to signal his presence?

Again, not to be insensitive, but how did nobody question the incredible decomposition odor that must have resulted? Or the insect infestation? The backstock areas of grocery stores sometimes develop an unpleasant odor, such as when the compactor hatch is opened or the grease traps are pumped, but it's not normal for them to smell horrible for days and weeks on end as this one must have.

Has there been ANY case where a body went undiscovered for seven years in a workplace, with probably dozens of workers coming in close proximity to it frequently?

 

[LurkingSleuther]

It would be interesting to know the detective work done when LM was originally reported missing. Places of employment are generally one of the go-to sources, so you'd think they would've scoured the 48-72 hours of footage to see if he entered the supermarket.

Reading the excerpt from the article in post #10, they might've just assumed LM ran away.

 

[Bit of hope]

Can't imagine how this happened...Thinking about it during the night...how....what was the situation with the coolers/refrigerator? What did the coolers looked like? Just trying to comprehend this.....sorry......