Do you know who killed 37 year old Daniel Ruiz? In the early morning hours of March 6, 1987, the quiet of a Southeast Portland apartment was broken by a grim discovery. Inside his residence in the 3700 block of SE 32nd Avenue, Daniel Ruiz, a 37-year-old Hispanic man, was found deceased by his girlfriend at approximately 2:30 a.m. The scene within the apartment told a violent story that would linger for decades, leaving more questions than answers.
An autopsy would later reveal the harsh truth of Ruiz's final moments; he had died as a
result of blunt force trauma. Investigators learned that friends had last seen him alive late in the evening of March 4th, two days prior to the discovery of his body. This gap in the timeline left a crucial window for his assailant to act. Though it was reported that Ruiz was a regular user of heroin, the motive for his brutal killing remained unclear.
Despite the passage of time, the case of Daniel Ruiz's murder has never been closed. No suspects have been publicly identified, and no arrests have been made in connection with his death. His killing remains an open and active investigation within the Portland Police Bureau's Cold Case Homicide Unit. Authorities continue to appeal to the public for any information, hoping that someone might still hold the key to bringing a resolution to a case that has remained unsolved for over three decades.
