(KMJ) – Detectives with the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office are asking for the public’s help in establishing the whereabouts of Vidal Zepeda prior to his death. The Coroner’s Office has conducted an autopsy on the 39 year old Gilroy man, but a cause and manner of his death are still pending.
At 9:00 am on Monday, February 22nd, the Sheriff’s Office received a report of a body being found in the California Aqueduct. The specific area of the canal is between W. Clarkson Ave. and W. Elkhorn Ave., near the community of Three Rocks. The FSO dive team reported to the scene to recover the body. Homicide detectives also went to the scene to begin an investigation into this suspicious death.
Detectives say Zepeda was last heard from by family at 3:00 pm on February 4th. He was reported as a missing person to the Gilroy Police Department on February 6th. Later on that day, after the report was made, law enforcement officers found Zepeda’s vehicle parked in a pistachio orchard near Highway 33 and W. Clarkson Ave. The car is a silver 2012 Ford Flex (pictured below).
Detectives are asking anyone who saw or spoke with Vidal Zepeda since February 4th to give them a call. Please contact Valley Crime Stoppers at (559) 498-STOP (7867). All tips will remain anonymous and you may be eligible for a cash reward.
