Thomas Alexander Dufour

Thomas Alexander Dufour was 50 years old when he was found dead on Saturday, September 3, 2011, in his home in Beverly Grove, on the west side of Los Angeles. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died of stab wounds at 415 Le Doux Road. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a Los Angeles Police Department Olympic Division case.

The coroner's records describe him as a white man. The Los Angeles Times Homicide Report said he "was found stabbed to death Saturday, Sept. 3, in the 400 block of Le Doux Road in Beverly Grove." According to the Times, "Los Angeles Police Department officers were dispatched to Dufour's home near Cedars-Sinai Medical Center late Saturday after friends reported him missing." When officers arrived, they found him dead, LAPD spokesman Cleon Joseph said. "Coroner's records show the victim suffered multiple sharp force injuries," the Times wrote, adding that "Authorities did not provide any other information about the case."

The few known facts say something about his life. He was killed in his own home, and it was his friends who noticed that something was wrong and called for help. That suggests he was someone whose absence was quickly felt by the people around him. It also suggests that he may have died some time before he was found, although the record does not say when he was last seen or when he was attacked.

The record does not say whether there were signs of a forced entry, whether anything was taken from the home, whether he lived alone, or whether he knew the person who killed him. No motive was released and no suspect was described.

Beyond his name, his age and the place where he died, almost nothing about Thomas Dufour has been made public. No obituary, memorial page or family fundraiser could be found for this story, and no news outlet other than the Times appears to have reported on his death. The name Thomas Dufour is shared by many other people in the United States and in France, and searches turned up obituaries for older men in several other states, none of whom can be connected to this death. His friends, who were worried enough to call the police, surely remember who he was, but none of that has entered the public record.

Beverly Grove is a neighborhood on the west side of Los Angeles, next to the city of Beverly Hills and West Hollywood. It is home to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and the Beverly Center shopping mall, and its side streets are lined with apartment buildings and small homes.

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 Thomas Alexander Dufour 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. The friends who reported him missing, neighbors on Le Doux Road and anyone who saw or spoke with him in the days before September 3, 2011, may hold information that could help. At the time, police asked anyone with details to contact Olympic homicide Detectives Herman Frettlohr or Matthew Gares at 382-9470. 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.