Edward Ralph Negrete was 46 years old when he died on Wednesday, March 4, 2009, in Carson. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died after sustaining blunt force trauma at 2666 E. Dominguez St. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department case.
The Los Angeles Times Homicide Report said that Negrete "died of blunt-force trauma to the head" in the 2600 block of East Dominguez Street. "One of Negrete's friends found him about 9:40 a.m., said Deputy Aura Sierra of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department." The report asked anyone with information to call the Sheriff's Homicide Bureau.
The Daily Breeze and its sister papers added one more important detail. They reported that "A man apparently beaten to death in a vacant house in Carson was identified" as Edward Negrete, 46, and that the friend found him that Wednesday morning, according to deputies. The reports did not say why he was in the vacant house, how long he had been there, or whether deputies had any suspects, and no later stories about the case appear in the archives.
A short obituary page kept by All Souls Cemetery and Mortuary records that Edward Ralph Negrete "was born on November 11, 1962 in Torrance, CA" and that "He passed away on March 4, 2009 in Carson, CA." The page says he left a loving family, though the saved text does not name them. A memorial listing on Legacy.com also carries his full name and Carson. Public directory listings tie the name to Carson and San Pedro, which suggests he spent much of his life in the South Bay and harbor area where he was born.
Carson is a city in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, incorporated in 1968. It is a mix of residential neighborhoods, refineries, warehouses and industrial land, and it is home to California State University, Dominguez Hills. Like many smaller cities in the county, Carson contracts with the Sheriff's Department for police services. Dominguez Street is one of the city's east-west streets, and the name recalls the Dominguez family, whose Spanish-era land grant once covered much of the area.
Hundreds of people are killed in Los Angeles County every year, and a large share of those killings end without an arrest.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Edward Ralph Negrete could be found in news archives or public records. More than 16 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Someone who knew the vacant house on East Dominguez Street, who saw people coming and going there in early March 2009, or who knew who Edward Negrete was with the night before he was found, may hold information that matters. The friend who found him and others in his circle may also know more than was ever reported. 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.
