COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – A man whose dead body was found behind a freezer in an Iowa grocery store earlier this year has been identified as an employee who went missing 10 years ago.
The man was identified as Larry Ely Murillo-Moncada, who was 25 years old when he was reported missing in November 2009, officials said Monday.
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The body was discovered the morning of January 24 as freezer units were being removed from the former No Frills Supermarket, which had been closed for about three years, reports the Des Moines Register. The decomposing body was found behind one of the coolers. Police said it appeared to have been there for years.
Investigators were able to identify Murillo-Moncada by using DNA collected from his biological parents. An autopsy showed no signs of trauma and the death was ruled accidental.
Murillo-Moncada's parents reported him missing November 28, 2009 after he became upset and ran out of their home.
Sgt. Brandon Danielson, who worked Murillo-Moncada's missing person case nearly a decade ago, told the Register that there was a snowstorm at the time, and Murillo-Moncada left home without shoes, socks, keys or a car.
According to Danielson, Murillo-Moncada was employed at the supermarket at the time of his disappearance.
Investigators believe Murillo-Moncada went to the grocery store after leaving his home, despite not being scheduled to work, and climed on top of the coolers. Former employees of the supermarket told investigators it was not uncommon for workers to be in the space on top of the coolers, which was used for storage.
Investigatos believe Murillo-Moncada fell into an 18-inch gap between the back of the units and the wall where he became trapped. Danielson said he would have fallen about 12 feet down, and the units would have been too loud for anyone to hear his cries for help.
Danielson told the Register that Murillo-Moncada was the first person that came to his mind when the body was found.