Christian Albert Markee

Christian Albert Markee was 27 years old when he died on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2019, in South Whittier. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died of stab wounds near the 13300 block of Telegraph Road. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a Whittier Police Department case.

The Los Angeles Times Homicide Report described him only as "a 27-year-old Latino male" who "died Wednesday, Sept. 25, after being stabbed near the 13300 block of Telegraph Road in South Whittier."

A little more was made public at the time. In a post on Facebook, ABC7 reported that authorities were "asking for the public's help in finding a suspect" in connection with the case. The post described Christian Markee as "originally from La Mirada but was recently living in and around the Santa Fe Springs/Whittier area as a transient." Only a short excerpt of that post was available for this story, so it is not clear how the suspect was described or what else detectives said.

A brief death notice published in the Orange County Register in October 2019 read: "Markee, Christian A.J., 27 of La Mirada, died 9/25/2019." The notice listed a cremation service and gave no other details, and no guestbook messages had been left on it. The short notice, and the description of him as recently living without a home, suggest that the last part of his life may have been a difficult one, but the record does not explain how he came to be living on the streets or what his life had been like before.

Because so little has been released, even the basic circumstances remain unknown to the public. The record does not say whether he was stabbed during a fight or a robbery, attacked by a stranger or by someone he knew, or hurt indoors or on the street. 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.

South Whittier is an unincorporated community in southeastern Los Angeles County, lying between the city of Whittier and the cities of Santa Fe Springs and La Mirada. It is a largely residential area of postwar houses and apartment buildings. Telegraph Road is one of its main commercial streets, lined with strip malls, gas stations, fast-food restaurants and small businesses that stay busy into the night. People who live outdoors in the area often know one another, and they and the workers along that stretch of Telegraph Road may have seen what happened.

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 Christian Albert Markee could be found in news archives or public records. More than six years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who was near the 13300 block of Telegraph Road in September 2019, who knew Christian from La Mirada or from the streets of Whittier and Santa Fe Springs, or who knows who the police were seeking, 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 contact the Whittier Police Department, or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.