A man was found dead in the back of his Kia SUV, which had been impounded in Logan Heights a week ago, police said Monday.
The discovery happened the same day the man's family members received notice that the vehicle had been towed to the Road One lot on National Avenue.
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WATCH HERESan Diego police and homicide detectives on Monday afternoon found themselves investigating yet another person found dead in a vehicle impounded at a tow yard.
“Oh, wow. I did not know that,” Road One customer Bryan Hernandez said.
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SIGN UP Hernandez and his sister, Diana, were inside the tow yard at the time police arrived.
“The cars get towed. I think they should pay more attention. It's bad,” Diana Hernandez said.
They saw police surrounding the white Kia but were busy gathering belongings from their own towed car.
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“Its gnarly. That’s insane,” Bryan Hernandez said.
San Diego Police Department Lt. Lou Maggi says that on March 29, the Kia was reported parked for more than 72 hours in the same spot on the city’s Get it Done app. On April 10, code enforcement ticketed the vehicle for the overtime violation. Then on April 21, the Kia was impounded. A week later, on April 28, after family members received the impound notice, they reported the Kia owner missing.
The officer who took the missing person’s report called Road One and asked them to do what was necessary to get inside the SUV.
Lt. Maggi says the body of the man may have been detected sooner had the KIA not been locked.
“They would do an inventory search of the vehicle for any valuables inside. As was noted in this report, they were not able to gain access to the vehicle to conduct that inventory search,” Lt. Maggi said.
The city of San Diego and its police department is currently being sued for failing to find a homeless woman in her van, which was impounded at Roadway Towing on Fairmont Avenue after another car crashed into it. That crash happened in November of 2023.
The victim, 65-year-old Monica Cameroni De Adams wasn’t found dead in her 2001 Honda Odyssey until a month later on Dec. 6. A tow lot worker there smelled something awful coming from the vehicle.
According to federal guidelines, police aren’t required to but can inventory a lawfully impounded vehicle without a search warrant. If such searches became regular practice, there might be fewer grisly discoveries over longer painful periods for loved ones.
While Monday's discovery is still under investigation, homicide detectives say this was likely a suicide and that a weapon, as well as other evidence that suggests it, was found among the man’s remains.
