Charles Armistead Crow Jr. was 54 years old when he died on Friday, Nov. 17, 2000, in Playa Vista, on the Westside of Los Angeles. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died after sustaining blunt force trauma at a location described only as west of the 405 Freeway and south of Jefferson Boulevard. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a Los Angeles Police Department Pacific Division case.
He was a white man in his mid-50s. Beyond his name, his age and the place where he died, almost nothing about Charles Armistead Crow Jr. 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. The "Jr." in his name shows that he shared it with his father, and his middle name, Armistead, is a distinctive one. Yet searches turned up only other men named Charles Crow, among them a scholar of California literature and men whose obituaries were published in other states, none of whom is the man who died in Playa Vista.
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.
The coroner gave a description of an area rather than a street address. That suggests he may have been found outdoors, on open land or along a road, rather than inside a home, although the record does not say so directly.
In 2000 the land west of the 405 and south of Jefferson Boulevard was very different from the Playa Vista of today. Much of it was still open ground, part of the former Hughes Aircraft Company property where Howard Hughes built the giant flying boat known as the Spruce Goose. The large planned community of homes, offices and parks that now fills the area was only beginning to take shape, after years of debate over development and the nearby Ballona Wetlands. Parts of the area were lightly traveled, especially at night, with few homes and few people around to notice what happened there.
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 Charles Armistead Crow Jr. could be found in news archives or public records. More than 25 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who was in the area of Jefferson Boulevard and the 405 Freeway in mid-November 2000, who worked on or near the Playa Vista land at the time, or who knew Charles and where he spent his days, may hold information that could help detectives. 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.
