SAN JOSE — Authorities say they have recovered the remains of a man who disappeared in June amid a bloody crime scene near Coyote Creek, and arrested three people on suspicion of killing him and burying him in the Saratoga hills.
The victim — who has not been formally identified by the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office — was reported missing June 22, three days after the unhoused man was last seen alive in the area of Wool Creek Drive, according to the San Jose Police Department.
His family and friends told police that the man’s bicycle was found abandoned along a creek trail just footsteps away from a presumed crime scene marked by blood stains and bullet casings. Homicide detectives were summoned to investigate soon after.
Police said on June 25, the Santa Clara County Crime Lab matched DNA from the blood stains to the missing man. An exhaustive investigation followed, which led to two vehicles being linked to the crime scene.
Detectives eventually identified three suspects, all San Jose residents: Miguel Cortez, 41, Julio Espinoza-Chavez, 43, and Juan Flores-Gonzalez, 44. The investigation also determined that the victim was likely buried in the Saratoga hills off Highway 9.
The three suspects were arrested Tuesday, and were booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail on suspicion of murder and are being held without bail. On Thursday, detectives, aided by Santa Clara County Search and Rescue, reported finding what they believe are the victim’s remains in the area they had identified as a likely burial site.
Friday, the suspects were criminally charged and scheduled for arraignment, court records show. The death is the city’s 23rd homicide of the year investigated by San Jose police.
In a statement, San Jose Police Chief Paul Joseph lauded the investigation that ended with the arrests and recovery of the victim’s body.
“This case was as complex as it was compelling,” Joseph said. “Our detectives handled it with care, compassion, and relentless determination.”
Anyone with information for investigators can contact the SJPD homicide unit at 408-277-5283 or email Detective Sgt. Richard Martinez at 3934@sanjoseca.gov or Detective Christina Jize at 4324@sanjoseca.gov. Tips can also be left with Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers at 408-947-7867 or siliconvalleycrimestoppers.org.