Supermarket Employee Was Found Trapped Behind Shelves Almost 10 Years After Going Missing

By Khadija Pervez in News On 12th July 2024
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Workers at a grocery store in Iowa were surprised to find the body of a former employee behind a stack of shelves, years after he was reported missing in 2009.

Larry Ely Murillo-Moncada's parents reported him missing on 28 November 2009, after the 25-year-old left their home upset and ran away.

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His parents had reported that Murillo-Moncada was behaving irrationally, noted former Council Bluffs Police Capt. Todd Weddum, potentially due to medication he was taking at the time.

Despite extensive efforts by authorities, including consultations with family, other law enforcement agencies, detention centers, and even US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Murillo-Moncada remained elusive, leaving his whereabouts a mystery.

Years passed with Murillo-Moncada's parents receiving no definitive information about their son's fate - until January 2019.

Workers removing shelves and coolers from the old No Frills Supermarket in Council Bluffs, Iowa, found a body during their job.

Larry was 25 when he was reported missing. CBS 17

During the store's operational days, employees would reportedly use the top of the coolers for unofficial breaks.

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Murillo-Moncada was an employee at No Frills Supermarket when he went missing.

Investigators speculate that he climbed into this space after leaving home, but tragically became trapped in an 18-inch gap between the cooler and the wall.

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Weddum suggested that the noise from the cooler compressors likely masked any calls for help Murillo-Moncada may have attempted, leaving him without means of escape.

The No Frills Supermarket ceased operations in 2016.

Larry's body was left behind the coolers for a decade. CBS 17

Murillo-Moncada's body was identified through DNA matching with his parents. He was discovered wearing the same clothes he had on when he went missing.

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Sgt. Brandon Danielson, with Council Bluffs Police Department, said: "The mother had an idea that he has never left 'No Frills'."

"I don't know how she came up with that idea, but his parents were pretty upset."

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Per KETV, he added: “You don’t hear about these types of cases, people found in walls. "

"Especially in this area, so that would be the odd part of about. We have missing person cases all the time, but this is just unique.”

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An autopsy conducted after Murillo-Moncada's body was discovered showed no signs of trauma, leading authorities to conclude that his death was accidental.