Gary Allen Salzman Jr., a 43-year-old U.S. Army veteran and chef, died on Sunday, July 5, 2020, in the Chinatown neighborhood of Los Angeles. The circumstances surrounding his death remain shrouded in mystery, with no public information released by law enforcement or city officials. The date of his passing coincided with a week that the Los Angeles Times described as the deadliest in the county in over a decade, a period marked by a significant increase in violent crime amidst the broader social and public health crises of that year.
Born on July 1, 1977, Salzman was raised in the Antelope Valley and attended Littlerock High School. He earned his GED in 1994 and went on to serve in the United States Army and the Federal Reserves from 1995 to 1997. Following his military service, he pursued a passion for cooking, eventually achieving an Associate of Arts degree in Culinary Arts. In 2015, he relocated to Los Angeles, where he found work as a chef, applying his skills in the city's vibrant food scene. His family remembered him in a heartfelt obituary, but the notice made no mention of the cause or nature of his death, simply stating he "went home to be with The Lord."
Despite the violent context of the week he died, there were no news reports, police press releases, or public alerts regarding Salzman's death. His case is not listed in the Los Angeles Times' comprehensive Homicide Report database, an unusual omission for a confirmed homicide victim in the county. The Los Angeles Police Department's Central Bureau, which has jurisdiction over Chinatown, has not issued any statements about an investigation into his death, and no suspects or persons of interest have ever been named publicly. The specific location within Chinatown where Salzman was found has also not been disclosed.
The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner has not publicly released the cause and manner of Salzman's death. The case record lists the cause as "other," a designation that leaves critical questions unanswered. Without an official determination, it is impossible to know if his death was the result of a violent act, an accident, or natural causes. This lack of official information has left a complete void in the public understanding of what happened to him.
More than four years have passed since Gary Salzman's death, and the case has grown completely cold. The absence of any discernible investigation or public appeal for information is a stark anomaly. He is survived by his two children, his parents, and three sisters. A memorial service was held for him on August 1, 2020, in Quartz Hill. For his family and friends, the lack of answers about his final moments adds a layer of unresolved pain to their loss, leaving a talented chef and veteran's final chapter tragically unwritten.
