Efrain Hernandez German was 48 years old when he died on Sunday, March 18, 2001, in Long Beach. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died after sustaining blunt force trauma near Anaheim Street and Pacific Avenue. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a case of the Long Beach Police Department.
The Los Angeles Times Homicide Report recorded his death in a single sentence drawn from coroner's records. It described him as "a 48-year-old Latino male" who "died Sunday, March 18, after sustaining blunt force trauma in Long Beach." 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.
Beyond his name, his age and the place where he died, almost nothing about Efrain Hernandez German has been made public. No obituary, memorial page or family fundraiser could be found for this story, and no news outlet appears to have reported on the death. He surely had family, friends or neighbors who remember who he was, but none of that has entered the public record. His name was recorded with two surnames, Hernandez and German, which means other records may list him as Efrain Hernandez or as Efrain German. Hernandez is one of the most common surnames in Los Angeles County, and the people named Efrain German who turned up in searches, in a Florida obituary, a California death notice and lists from other countries, cannot 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.
Long Beach is the second-largest city in Los Angeles County, a port city on San Pedro Bay at the southern edge of the county. It is known for its busy harbor, one of the largest in the country, for the Queen Mary ocean liner docked across the water from downtown, and for its long stretch of beaches. Anaheim Street is one of its main east-west streets, and Pacific Avenue runs north from the downtown area. Long Beach has its own police department, whose homicide detectives investigate killings within the city limits.
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 Efrain Hernandez German 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 was near Anaheim Street and Pacific Avenue in Long Beach in March 2001, or who knew a 48-year-old man named Efrain Hernandez or Efrain German, 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 contact the Long Beach Police Department's Homicide Detail at 562-570-7244, or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.
