Alexander Gonzalez was 36 years old when he died on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2011, in the Whittier area of southeastern Los Angeles County. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died of stab wounds after being brought to a bar in the 10000 block of Mills Avenue. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Bureau case.
The coroner's records describe him as a Latino man, and the Daily News identified him as a resident of Whittier. According to coroner's officials, as reported by the Los Angeles Times, he "was dropped off with stab wounds at a bar" on Mills Avenue. Authorities responded to a 911 call at about 9 p.m. He was rushed to St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood, where he was pronounced dead at 10:38 p.m. Investigators were "still trying to determine everything that happened," said sheriff's homicide Sgt. B. Cotter, and no arrest had been made.
The Daily News placed the stabbing in the 10100 block of Mills Avenue, in an area it described as south of Whittier.
The detail that he was dropped off raises questions the record does not answer. It suggests he was stabbed somewhere else and brought to the bar by someone, but it does not say who drove him, whether that person stayed, or where the stabbing took place. It does not say whether he had been at the bar earlier that evening, whether there had been a fight, or whether anyone saw who hurt him. No suspect, vehicle or weapon has been described in public.
No obituary, memorial page or family fundraiser for him could be found for this story. Alexander Gonzalez is a very common name, and searches turned up obituaries, athletes, filmmakers and court records for many other men with the same name in California and other states, none of whom can be connected to the man who died in December 2011. He surely had family and friends in the Whittier area who remember him, but their memories have not entered the public record.
Whittier is an older city in southeastern Los Angeles County, founded by Quakers in the late 1800s and known for its uptown district, its college and its residential neighborhoods at the foot of the Puente Hills. The areas just south and west of the city include unincorporated communities that are patrolled by the Sheriff's Department, with modest homes, apartment buildings and commercial strips along the main roads. Mills Avenue runs through this part of the county, past homes and small businesses.
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 Alexander Gonzalez could be found in news archives or public records. More than 14 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who was at or near the bar on Mills Avenue on the evening of Dec. 10, 2011, who saw the car that dropped him off, or who knows where Alexander was earlier that night and who he was with, may hold information that could help investigators. 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 Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500, or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.
