Authorities have confirmed that the decomposed male body discovered in January behind a cooler in a vacant supermarket in Iowa belongs to a former employee who vanished nearly a decade ago.
In a surprising turn of events, workers at a grocery store in Council Bluffs stumbled upon the remains of Larry Ely Murillo-Moncada while clearing out the old No Frills Supermarket, where he had worked before going missing in 2009.
Murillo-Moncada’s parents reported him missing on November 28, 2009, after he left their home in distress. According to former Council Bluffs Police Captain Todd Weddum, his behavior was erratic, potentially influenced by medication he was taking at the time.
Despite exhaustive searches by authorities, which included consultations with family members, various law enforcement agencies, detention centers, and even US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Murillo-Moncada’s fate remained a mystery for years.
It wasn’t until January 2019 that the truth emerged. While removing shelves and coolers from the abandoned supermarket, workers made the grim discovery of a body.
At the time of his disappearance, Murillo-Moncada was 25 years old and had been an employee at No Frills. Investigators believe he may have climbed into the narrow space between the cooler and the wall after leaving home, tragically becoming trapped in an 18-inch gap.
Weddum noted that the noise from the cooler compressors likely drowned out any cries for help, leaving Murillo-Moncada with no way to escape.
The No Frills Supermarket closed its doors in 2016, leaving the area largely untouched until the discovery was made.
Murillo-Moncada’s identity was confirmed through DNA testing, and he was found wearing the same clothes he had on when he disappeared. Council Bluffs Police Sergeant Brandon Danielson remarked, “His mother had a feeling he had never left ‘No Frills.’”
He also expressed the uniqueness of the case, stating, “You don’t hear about people being found in walls, especially around here. We deal with missing person cases regularly, but this one is truly exceptional.”
An autopsy revealed no signs of trauma, leading authorities to conclude that his death was accidental, bringing a tragic end to the long-standing mystery surrounding his disappearance.