Oscar Orlando Torres was 64 years old when he was found dead on Thursday, July 17, 2014, in Florence-Firestone. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died after sustaining blunt force trauma at 8108 Zamora Ave. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Bureau case.
The Los Angeles Times Homicide Report gave a few details. Torres lived in a converted garage, and it was his son who found him, according to Lt. Eddie Hernandez of the Sheriff's Department. "Torres' son became concerned after he did not hear from his father," Hernandez said. Torres had last been seen alive on July 16, the day before. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 6:56 p.m., and the coroner's records said he died from blunt head trauma.
Those few facts leave a great deal unanswered. The record does not say whether there were signs of a struggle, whether anything was taken, whether the garage had been forced open or whether anyone in the neighborhood heard anything during the hours between the last time he was seen and the moment his son found him. It does not say how long he had lived on Zamora Avenue, what he did for a living or whether he had other family nearby. Beyond the son who found him, no relative has spoken publicly, and no obituary, memorial page or fundraiser for him could be found.
Oscar Torres is a very common name, and searches for it turned up obituaries for men in Illinois, New Jersey, Texas and Florida, a company shareholder list, a boxer from decades ago and several unrelated crime stories, including a 2008 killing in another part of the county. None of them could be connected to the 64-year-old who died in Florence-Firestone.
Florence-Firestone is an unincorporated community in South Los Angeles County, near Huntington Park, South Gate and Walnut Park and bordered by the city of Los Angeles. Because it is not part of any city, it is policed by the Sheriff's Department. It is a dense, working-class area of small houses, apartment buildings and backyard units. Metro's A Line runs through the community along the old railroad corridor.
Hundreds of people are killed in Los Angeles County every year, and a large share of those killings end without an arrest. A death inside a private living space, discovered by a family member a day after the victim was last seen, can be especially hard to solve, because there may be no witnesses on the street and no clear time when the attack happened.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Oscar Orlando Torres could be found in news archives or public records. More than 11 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. A neighbor on Zamora Avenue, or anyone who saw Oscar Torres or visitors to his home on July 16 or 17, 2014, may remember something that matters. Even a small detail, such as a name overheard, a vehicle seen nearby or a conversation remembered, can help detectives move a case forward. Anyone with information can contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500, or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.
