Francisco Soriano Avila was 57 years old when he was fatally stabbed on Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012, in Pacoima, in the northeast San Fernando Valley. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died of stab wounds at 13772 Mercer St. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a Los Angeles Police Department Foothill Division case.
The coroner's records describe him as a Latino man. The Los Angeles Times Homicide Report, which identified him as Francisco Avila, gave a brief account. Police found him in the street in the 13000 block of Mercer Street with a stab wound to his neck. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 2:33 p.m., said Ed Winter, the coroner's spokesman. "No other details were immediately available about the case," the Homicide Report wrote.
The time stands out. He was found in the middle of a Saturday afternoon, on a residential street, two days after Thanksgiving.
That suggests there may well have been people at home nearby, outside in their yards or driving past, who saw or heard something, although the record does not say whether any witnesses came forward.
Beyond his name, his age and the place where he died, almost nothing about Francisco Soriano Avila 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. Searches for his full name found only a listing of homicide victims copied from the Times and an unrelated record from Spain. Francisco Avila is a common name, and searches for it turned up obituaries for many other men in other states and years, as well as the history of the Avila Adobe on Olvera Street, built by an early mayor of Los Angeles who shared the name.
The account does not say whether Francisco lived on Mercer Street, whether he was stabbed during a fight or a robbery, or whether he knew the person who attacked him. It does not say whether investigators identified a suspect.
Pacoima is one of the oldest communities in the San Fernando Valley and part of the city of Los Angeles. It is a largely working-class neighborhood of single-family homes, many built in the years after World War II, along with apartment buildings and small businesses. It sits near the Whiteman Airport and the 5 and 118 freeways.
Homicides in Los Angeles fell steeply in the late 2000s and early 2010s, yet many killings from those years were never solved.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Francisco Soriano Avila could be found in news archives or public records. More than 13 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who lived on or near Mercer Street in Pacoima in November 2012, who was outside on the afternoon of Nov. 24 that year, or who knew Francisco and the people around him, may hold information that could help detectives. The Homicide Report asked anyone with information to contact the LAPD at 275-5273. 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.
