Body Found on Nojoqui Grade Identified

Santa Barbara - August 4th, 2010

DNA results from the Department of Justice Lab have led the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office to identify the severely burned body discovered in a suspicious fire on the Nojoqui Grade last month.

Shortly after 4:00 AM on Thursday July 15, 2010, Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office deputies were dispatched to a fire scene when a body was discovered within the burn area.  Members of the Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division and County Fire Arson Investigators responded and spent numerous hours recovering the body and processing the scene for evidence.

For nearly three weeks detectives have been in communication with various other law enforcement agencies regarding missing person and homicide cases in their jurisdiction.  In addition they have followed up on well over 35 tips from the community in an attempt to identify the victim.  The deformity of the decedent’s left hand as well as some items discovered at the scene linked this case with a possible missing person case from the Tarzana area of Los Angeles. 

Detectives from SBSO and the Los Angeles Police Department worked to connect the two cases.  Information from the autopsy revealed that the decedent was dead prior to being set on fire but had not been deceased more than 24 hours.  DNA from the found body, as well as DNA from the LAPD missing person, was submitted to the Department of Justice DNA Lab in Richmond, California. 

The Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office has received confirmation that the DNA submitted from the body and the LAPD missing person case are in fact the same person.  The victim Bernardo Alvarez (DOB 4/1/62) was a resident of Tarzana.  Our agency will assist LAPD with their investigation as it relates to the scene and evidence recovered at the found body scene.

For more information regarding news related issues
please contact Drew Sugars, Public Information Officer.

Business Hours: (805) 681-4100
EMAIL:pio@sbsheriff.org