Calif. Dad Killed His 3-year-old Daughter and Threw Her Body in the Trash Before He Killed Himself
Police say that the father of a 3-year-old girl whose body was found at a trash center in California’s Bay Area killed her right before he killed himself.
San José Police said in a news release on July 16 that they had found the person who killed Ellie Obi Lorenzo, his 3-year-old daughter. The man’s name was Jared Lorenzo, and he lived in Fremont, California.
Police say the girl’s mother in Fremont reported her missing on July 12 after hearing that her father had been found dead in San Francisco. Ellie was found dead at a recycling center in nearby San José, just one day after her mother claimed she was lost.
In their report from July 16, cops said that Ellie had been seen alive for the last time with Lorenzo on Thursday, July 11, “at a residence in the city of Fremont.” Late that night, they drove to Lorenzo’s place, which was also in Fremont. Police say that around 6 a.m. the next morning, Lorenzo left his apartment and drove to San José, where he took Ellie’s body out of the trunk of his car and threw her in a trash can.
Police say that the trash can was cleared and Ellie’s body was moved to another facility without her knowledge. On July 13, around 4:30 a.m., an employee called police to say that they had found a body in the processing area of the other facility.
Police also said they have “further evidence” that Lorenzo drove to several nearby Bay Area cities before ending up in San Francisco, where he was found dead just after 11 a.m. on July 12 from what looked like a suicide.
On Monday, July 15, the Santa Clara County Coroner’s Office confirmed that the body was Ellie’s. In a news release, police said that the cause and manner of her death are still being investigated and will be decided by the coroner after a medical exam.
The SJPD Homicide Unit is in charge of the case. “The motive and circumstances are still under investigation,” the police said in the press release.
According to a Facebook post from the Fremont Police Department that was made soon after Ellie went missing, Lorenzo and Chrystal Obi, Ellie’s mother, had a custody agreement. Ellie was meant to go back to her mother’s house after being with her father.
Obi told NBC Bay Area that she was “heartbroken” when she heard that her daughter had died. She also said that her daughter would be remembered for her “smart and curious mind, her big smile, and her warm, loving heart.”
“Ellie’s life was full of so many people who loved her so much and will miss her beyond words can explain,” Obi said, per the news site.
If you know anything about this case, please call the Homicide Unit of the San José Police Department.