Michael A. Garfinkle, a 20-year-old white male from Tarzana, California, was found dead on August 2, 1994, alongside a railroad track in Emeryville, California. At the time of his death, Garfinkle had recently graduated from Pierce College and was reportedly traveling by freight train with a friend, intending to reach Santa Cruz. Described as a community college student who was “just cruising the rails having fun,” Garfinkle's journey ended in tragedy when he was brutally bludgeoned to death.
The investigation into the murder of the 20-year-old white male led authorities to Robert Joseph Silveria Jr., a transient known as “The Boxcar Killer.” Silveria, a white male born in 1959 in Redwood City, California, had spent over a decade riding freight trains across the United States, during which he committed a series of murders targeting fellow rail riders and homeless individuals. His killing spree spanned from 1981 to 1996 and included victims in multiple states.
Silveria was arrested on March 2, 1996, and while in custody, he confessed to numerous murders, including that of Michael A. Garfinkle. According to Emeryville Detective Wade Harper, Silveria had intimate knowledge of the crime scene and circumstances surrounding Garfinkle's death, which strongly implicated him in the murder. Garfinkle had apparently encountered Silveria while riding a boxcar through Emeryville. Silveria then bludgeoned the 20-year-old white male and discarded his body beside the tracks near Shell Mound Street.
Authorities from Emeryville and Albany traveled to Placer County Jail to interview Silveria after learning of his confessions to other rail-related killings. Both departments indicated their intention to pursue murder charges against him through the Alameda County District Attorney's Office. Silveria was later extradited to Oregon to face charges for a separate homicide and is currently serving multiple life sentences. His confessions ultimately linked him to at least 28 murders, though some investigators believe the true number may be higher.
