Body [Id'd as GERADO BOTELLO] Germantown interstate ramp 2/5/09 MD

[Nut44x4]

New evidence released in case of body found in Germantown
Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2009
Blue paper found in victim's jeans could be a laundry tag
County police said they hope that a small piece of blue paper with a name on it will help identify the man who was found shot to death in Germantown last week.

Montgomery County Police said they are trying to confirm whether the victim's name is Carlos Quintero, the same name on a 2-inch-by-½-inch blue paper tag that appears to have come from a laundry. The tag was attached to the man's jeans by a plastic tag commonly used to fasten price tags to clothing, police said. The tag contains a handwritten number, 22460, police said.

"It's just a blue piece of paper," said Lucille Baur, a police spokeswoman. "It's nothing that would give us any indication what laundry it is or whether it is a laundry, but it could reasonably be perceived as a laundry tag."

Police have been trying to identify the victim since his body was found around 4:10 a.m. on Feb. 5 between the travel lane and guard rail on the eastbound ramp of Father Hurley Boulevard that connects to southbound Interstate 270. The time and place of his death remains undetermined.

A preliminary autopsy report confirmed homicide as the cause of death and concluded the victim died of a gunshot wound, police said. Investigators found the blue piece of paper after the victim's clothing was returned to them from the Medical Examiner's Office, police said.

Police said they are hoping to hear from a laundry or dry cleaning business that might have used the tag for matching a customer and clothing.

Police said the victim, 6 feet tall and 260 pounds, was wearing a brown knit cap, brown leather waist-length jacket, blue jeans with embroidery on the rear pockets and brown ankle-high cowboy boots. He was also wearing a brown leather belt with a large belt buckle, and jewelry, which included four necklaces. Three of the necklaces were beaded and one was silver colored with a gold colored skeleton key charm.

Detectives ask anyone with information about the victim and the circumstances of the crime to call 240-773-5070.
http://www.gazette.net/stories/02112009/montnew184245_32485.shtml

http://www.gazette.net/images/2009_0211/deadmang021109a_rgbb.jpg

[Nut44x4]

2/11/2009


Update: Police Continue to Seek Help to Identify
Homicide Victim



Detectives from the Montgomery County Police Major Crimes Division – Homicide/Sex Section continue to investigate the death of a man whose body was found the morning of Thursday, February 5, 2009, at the edge of the ramp from eastbound Father Hurley Boulevard to southbound Interstate 270 in Germantown.

The body was discovered at approximately 4:10 a.m. on February 5, when a passing motorist saw it on the edge of the ramp and called the police. The unidentified victim, with trauma to his body, was pronounced dead at the scene. The preliminary autopsy results have determined the cause of death was homicide and the manner of death was a gunshot wound. It is not known where and when the victim was killed.

Detectives have continued to try to identify the victim. When clothing was returned to investigators from the Medical Examiner’s office, a small 2 inch by ½ inch, blue, paper laundry tag was found inside the jeans worn by the victim. It was affixed to the jeans by a plastic tag attachment commonly used to attach price tags to new clothing. The small tag appears to have been the top portion torn off a larger ticket. It contains a handwritten five-digit number, “22460”, and the name, “Carlos Quintero”. Detectives are trying to confirm whether the victim’s name is Carlos Quintero. Investigators would like to hear from any laundries which might use this type of dry cleaning identification. Even the location of such a laundry could assist the investigation. Detectives can be reached at 240-773-5070. Callers may remain anonymous.

The victim is described as a Hispanic male who is believed to be in his late 30’s or early 40’s, 6’ tall, weighing 260 pounds, with short dark hair. He was wearing a brown knit cap, brown leather waist-length jacket, blue jeans with embroidered designs on the rear pockets, and brown ankle-high cowboy style boots. He was also wearing a brown leather belt with a large belt buckle. He was wearing jewelry which included four necklaces, three of which were beaded and one that was silver in color with a gold colored skeleton key charm. A computer-created composite was released to aid in the victim’s identification, but it was not expected to be an exact likeness of the victim. A photograph of the deceased victim is now being released because identification has not yet been made.
http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/Apps/Police/News/NA_details.asp?NaID=4607
WARNING.......post mortem photo at link

[Nut44x4]

No leads in case of body found near I-270
Man was found more than a month ago

nvestigators have no leads in the identity of a man who was found shot to death near Interstate 270 in Germantown more than a month ago, according to police.

The man was found around 4:10 a.m. on Feb. 5 at the edge of the eastbound Father Hurley Boulevard ramp that connects to southbound I-270, according to a statement from Montgomery County Police. Investigators believe the body had been on the roadside for about 15 minutes before it was reported, according to Lucille Baur, a police spokeswoman.

It is not known where the man died, but he was likely killed elsewhere and left on the side of the road, police said.

A preliminary autopsy revealed the man was killed by a gunshot wound, according to police. The man is described as Hispanic, in his late 30s or early 40s, 260 pounds, with short dark hair, according to police. He was found wearing a brown knit cap, a waist-length brown leather jacket, blue jeans with embroidered designs on the back pockets, ankle-high brown cowboy boots, a brown leather belt with a large buckle, three beaded necklaces and a silver-colored necklace with a gold-colored skeleton key charm, police said.

A small, blue, paper laundry tag was attached to the inside of the man's jeans with a plastic tag commonly used to affix price tags to new clothes, according to police. The tag appears to have been torn off a larger ticket and contains a handwritten number, "22460," and the name "Carlos Quintero," police said.

County police have made several pleas to the community in their efforts to identify the man but have not received any tips, according to the statement. Regular checks for missing persons in the National Crime Information Center database have proved unsuccessful, police said, as has a national alert sent to law enforcement agencies. Police also contacted law enforcement in states that serve as entry points to the United States, such as Florida, California and Texas, police said.

"This is very uncommon," Baur said. "Typically, once we release identifying features and provide a composite or picture, we get an identification, and that's what makes this so perplexing. He has to be missing from somewhere."

Anyone with information is asked to call police at 240-773-5070.
http://www.gazette.net/stories/03112009/poolnew192700_32488.shtml

[packy]

The boots may be recognizable if the right person would see them. Hopefully they will release a sketch.

[Nut44x4]

http://unsolveditn.blogspot.com/search/label/Unidentified

[packy]

Thanks, Nut, that may help to see the face.

[Nut44x4]

Body Found by I-270 Identified, but Many Mysteries Remain
04/03/09 10:19 am
The body has been identified using fingerprints from New York state as that of Gerardo Botello, of no fixed address.

http://www.acc-tv.com/images/wjla/news/botello040309.jpg

Germantown, Md. - Montgomery County police detectives announced Friday that they have finally identified the body of a man found alongside Interstate 270 at the Father Hurley Boulevard exit ramp in early February.

A quest to determine the man's identity has been ongoing since the body was discovered on February 5. The autopsy determined that the unidentified man was the victim of a homicide and died from a gunshot wound. The man carried no identification, and local law enforcement reached out to agencies all over the country when the case was publicized here but no leads developed in this region.

The victim has been identified as Gerardo Botello, roughly 40 years old and of no fixed address. He was identified via fingerprint match in New York state.

Detectives believe that Botello was killed elsewhere and his body left by the interstate, but where and when that shooting occurred is still unknown.

When the victim's clothing was returned to investigators from the Medical Examiner's office, a small 2 inch by ½ inch, blue, paper laundry tag was found inside the jeans worn by the victim which contained a handwritten five-digit number, "22460", and the name, "Carlos Quintero". It is now believed that name was used by Botello as an alias

Though the man now has a name, detectives still know very little about him and ask for the help of the public in solving his case, seeking information from anyone who may have known him. Anyone with information is asked to call the Homicide/Sex Section at 240-773-5070. Callers may remain anonymous.
http://www.news8.net/news/stories/0409/610042.html