Richard Fermin Cruz Jr. was 34 years old when he died on Sunday, Sept. 4, 2005, in Lynwood, a small city in southeast Los Angeles County. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died of stab wounds at 10716 San Jose Ave. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Bureau case.
The coroner's record describes him as a Latino man in his mid-30s. Beyond his name, his age and the place where he died, almost nothing about Richard Fermin Cruz Jr. 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. The "Jr." in his name shows that he shared it with his father, and his middle name, Fermin, is less common.
But Richard Cruz is one of the most common names in Southern California, and searches turned up only other men who carried it, among them men whose obituaries were published in other states. None of them is the man who died in Lynwood.
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.
The coroner gave a street address on San Jose Avenue, which suggests he may have been found at or near a home, although the record does not say whether he lived there or was visiting. The death came on the Sunday of the Labor Day weekend.
Lynwood covers only about five square miles between Compton and South Gate. It was incorporated in 1921 and grew up as a working-class suburb of small houses on modest lots, close to the factories and rail yards that once lined this part of the county. The Century Freeway, Interstate 105, cuts across the city, and Long Beach Boulevard and Imperial Highway are among its busiest streets. Lynwood does not have its own police department; it contracts with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, whose homicide detectives handle killings in the city.
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 Richard Fermin Cruz Jr. could be found in news archives or public records. More than 20 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who lived on or near San Jose Avenue in Lynwood over Labor Day weekend in 2005, who knew Richard or his family, or who heard later talk about what happened to him, 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 Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500, or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
