An unsolved murder of a 42-year-old man in El Rio more than a decade ago has been reopened by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office with hope that new technological advances will lead to an arrest.
On the evening of Oct. 26, 2012, Edward Velasquez was found shot dead at the intersection of Cortez Street and Salem Avenue.
Velasquez was shot once in the upper body and was pronounced dead at the scene.
After his killing, deputies collected evidence from the scene and interviewed witnesses who described the killer as a Hispanic man with a light complexion in his early 20s with a “clean cut” appearance.
A vehicle described as a beige four-door sedan was also identified as the shooter’s vehicle.
But despite a thorough investigation and those critical pieces of information, the case went cold in 2013 with no arrests made.
Now, almost 11 years to the date that Velasquez was killed, the Sheriff’s Office has reopened the case, hoping new leads and improved forensic technology can help bring a close to a case that has left investigators spinning their wheels for more than a decade.
Anyone with information about the murder of Edward Velasquez is urged to contact Ventura County Sheriff’s Major Crimes Sergeant Jeremy Bramlette at 805-384-4727. Anonymous tips can be submitted online or by calling 800-222-8477.