Arlyn Herrera was 24 years old when he died on Friday, October 19, 2001, in Panorama City, in the San Fernando Valley. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died after sustaining blunt force trauma near Lennox Avenue and Burton Street. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a case of the Los Angeles Police Department's Van Nuys Division.
The Los Angeles Times Homicide Report recorded his death in a single sentence drawn from coroner's records. It described him as "a 24-year-old Latino male" who "died Friday, Oct. 19, after sustaining blunt force trauma in Panorama City." The location was given only as an intersection, which suggests he may have been hurt outdoors, on or near the street, but the record does not say so. It did not describe what happened or whether detectives had identified anyone responsible. No follow-up news story appears to have been published.
One small trace of his life survives online. A memorial page on the WeRemember website lists an Arlyn Herrera who "was born March 25, 1977, and died October 19, 2001," dates that match the age and the day of death in the coroner's record. The page notes where he was buried and invites visitors to share memories, but the saved portion contains no account of his life or of how he died. No obituary in a newspaper, family fundraiser or news report about him could be found. Searches turned up several other people named Arlyn Herrera, none of whom can be tied to him.
Because so little has been released, even the basic circumstances remain unknown to the public. The record does not say whether he was beaten in a fight, attacked by a stranger, assaulted indoors or on the street, or struck by a vehicle, all of which can lead to a finding of blunt force trauma. It does not say what time of day he was hurt, whether he died at the scene or later at a hospital, whether anyone saw what happened, or whether investigators ever identified a suspect.
Panorama City lies in the central San Fernando Valley, north of Van Nuys. It was built after World War II as one of the first large planned suburbs in the Valley, with rows of modest single-family homes laid out for workers at nearby factories, including the General Motors assembly plant in Van Nuys, which closed in 1992. In later decades it grew more crowded and became home to many working families. In 2001 the area was patrolled by the LAPD's Van Nuys Division.
Homicides in Los Angeles rose sharply in the early 2000s, climbing past 600 in 2002, and detectives carried heavy caseloads. Many killings from those years were never solved.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Arlyn Herrera could be found in news archives or public records. More than 24 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who lived near Lennox Avenue and Burton Street in Panorama City in October 2001, or who knew a 24-year-old man named Arlyn Herrera who was born in March 1977, may hold information that could help. 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 call the Los Angeles Police Department at 877-527-3247 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.
