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Man Missing For Decade Found Behind Fridge At Supermarket Where He Worked

Man Missing For Decade Found Behind Fridge At Supermarket Where He Worked

Larry Ely Murillo-Moncada disappeared in November 2009

Rebecca Shepherd

Rebecca Shepherd

The body of a man found in a former supermarket has been identified as an employee who went missing 10 years ago.

American authorities have confirmed that the body wedged behind a refrigerator in the local store is that of Larry Ely Murillo-Moncada, who was 25 when he was reported missing in November 2009.

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, along with the Iowa State Medical Examiner's Office and Council Bluffs Police Department, announced that the body, which was found this January at the old No Frills Supermarket, was identified as Murillo-Moncada, Sgt. Brandon Danielson with the Council Bluffs Police Department confirmed to PEOPLE.

Larry Ely Murillo-Moncada went missing ten years ago and was found in January.
Iowa Department of Public Safety

DNA was used to identify Mr Murillo-Moncada after it matched with samples from his biological parents. He was also wearing clothes that matched the description of his outfit at the time he was reported missing.

CNN reported that Murillo-Moncada's parents reported him missing after he became upset and ran out of their home. They also told investigators that he was acting irrationally, possibly because of medication he was taking, according to Council Bluffs Police Capt. Todd Weddum.

Police say the man fell into an approximately 18-inch gap between the back of a cooler and a wall at No Frills Supermarket where he was working. Former employees say it was common for workers to be in the storage space above the coolers.

Larry Murillo-Moncada was working at No Frills Supermarket.
Google Maps

Investigators believe that he climbed on top of the coolers, where employees said they would sometimes go to hide when they wanted to take an unofficial break.

Speaking to the Des Moines Register, Sgt. Danielson recalled how weather conditions were extremely poor that day and Murillo-Moncada fled his home without any possessions.

"It was a snowstorm at the time. He left with no shoes, no socks, no keys, no car," Sgt. Danielson said, adding that Murillo-Moncada was not scheduled to work at the time he arrived at the supermarket.

According to Sgt. Danielson, there would have been around a 12-foot fall down the back of the cooler and the noise from the units could have made it difficult to hear cries for help. He added: "It's so loud, there's probably no way anyone heard him."

Contractors found the former missing man while they were tearing units apart.

Featured Image Credit: Google Maps

Topics: News, US News