Body of missing man found behind refrigerator 10 years ago
DNA tests confirmed his identity, and police concluded that his death was accidental
The body of Larry Ely Murillo-Moncada, who disappeared a decade ago, was found behind a refrigerator in an old supermarket in Council Bluffs, Iowa, in January 2019. The identification of the body was achieved through DNA tests, provided by his biological parents, authorities revealed in July 2019.
Larry Ely Murillo-Moncada, 25 years old at the time of his disappearance in November 2009, was reported missing after a family argument that led him to leave his house in the middle of a snowstorm.
Murillo-Moncada, who worked at No Frills supermarket at the time of her disappearance, was found dead in a space behind the freezers at the same store, located at 1817 W. Broadway, during remodeling work done by contractors on January 24, 2019.
The supermarket had closed approximately three years before the discovery of the body, and authorities said the body appeared to have been in that location for years. An autopsy showed no signs of trauma, concluding that the death was accidental.
Investigators believe Murillo-Moncada entered the supermarket after hours and climbed on top of the coolers, subsequently falling into a narrow 18-inch gap between the units and the wall, becoming trapped.
Sergeant Brandon Danielson of the Council Bluffs Police Department, who was involved in the missing person case, recalled that Murillo-Moncada left her home without shoes, socks, keys or a car, which made the initial search difficult.
Police also said it was common for employees to frequent the store off-shift and access the upper freezer area, which is used for storage.
The accident resulted in a fall of about 12 feet. The constant noise from the freezers may have prevented Murillo-Moncada's cries for help from being heard, Danielson said, adding that the young man's case was the first to come to mind when the body was found.