Joshua Santos was 19 years old when he died on Saturday, May 28, 2011, in Koreatown. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died of a stab wound at 162 N. Mariposa Ave. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a case of the Los Angeles Police Department's Olympic Division.
The Los Angeles Times Homicide Report described him as "a 19-year-old Latino" who "died Saturday, May 28, an hour after he was stabbed in the 100 block of North Mariposa Avenue in Koreatown." According to Ed Winter, a spokesman for the coroner's office, Santos was in an argument involving males and females about 11:20 p.m. on Friday, May 27. At some point, Santos exchanged punches with someone and was stabbed. He was taken to County-USC Medical Center, where he died at 12:23 a.m. from a stab wound to the chest.
The account suggests that the confrontation began as a quarrel among a group of young men and women and turned violent quickly.
It does not say whether Santos knew the people he was arguing with, what the argument was about, or whether the person he fought with was the same person who stabbed him. It also does not say whether the group was gathered outside a home, on the sidewalk or at some kind of party, though a group of that size on a Friday night suggests that others may have seen what happened.
Beyond his name, his age and the place where he died, almost nothing about Joshua Santos 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. Joshua Santos is also a common name, and searches turn up many other men who share it, including a Los Angeles physician and defendants and victims in unrelated cases in other states, none of whom can be tied to this death.
No follow-up story about the case could be found. The public record does not say whether detectives identified the person who stabbed him, whether a weapon was found, or whether anyone from the group came forward to talk to police.
Koreatown is one of the most densely populated neighborhoods in Los Angeles, lying west of downtown and centered on Wilshire Boulevard. It is known for its Korean restaurants, karaoke bars, markets and late-night businesses, as well as its many apartment buildings, and its residents include large numbers of Latino and Korean American families.
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 Joshua Santos 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 on North Mariposa Avenue in Koreatown late on the night of May 27, 2011, or who knew a 19-year-old named Joshua Santos, may hold information that could help. 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.
