Victor Lopez Vellanoweth was 18 years old when he died on Saturday, October 25, 2003. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died of stab wounds. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a case of the Downey Police Department. Unlike most entries in the coroner's records, his gave no street address and no neighborhood.
The Los Angeles Times Homicide Report recorded his death in a single sentence. It described him as "a 18-year-old Latino male" who "died Saturday, Oct. 25, after being stabbed." The entry did not say where he was attacked, whether he died at the scene or in a hospital, or who found him. The assignment of the case to the Downey Police Department suggests that the stabbing took place in Downey, but the record does not say so directly.
One other public record appears to refer to him. A genealogy website lists a Victor Vellanoweth who died at age 18 on October 24, 2003, one day earlier than the date in the coroner's entry.
The difference may reflect an attack late on one day and a death early the next, or simply a recording error, but the page adds no details about his life.
Beyond his name, his age and the date he died, almost nothing about Victor Lopez Vellanoweth 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 his death. Vellanoweth is a rare surname, which makes the silence more striking. He surely had family and friends who remember who he was, but none of that has entered the public record.
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.
He was 18, an age when many young people are finishing high school, starting work or making plans for what comes next. His death on a Saturday in late October came at a time of year when many young people gather at parties and on weekend nights out, but there is no record of where he was or whom he was with.
Downey is a city of tree-lined residential streets in southeast Los Angeles County. It is known for its long aerospace history, including the plant where work was done for the Apollo and space shuttle programs, and for being home to the oldest operating McDonald's restaurant.
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 Victor Lopez Vellanoweth could be found in news archives or public records. More than 22 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who knew an 18-year-old named Victor Vellanoweth, or who heard about a stabbing in or around Downey in late October 2003, 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 contact the Downey Police Department, or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
