Friday, June 19, 2015

Victims Identified in Vehicle Fire


June 18, 2015

The Richmond Police Department has identified the persons who were discovered last night in a burning vehicle on the city’s south side.

They are a male, Hector E. Gonzalez-Carabantes, 20, of the 4100 block of Jefferson Davis Highway and a female, Leny Monroy-Membreno, 17, of the 4200 block of Lamplighter Court.

 At approximately 10:47 p.m., a passerby in the 3000 block of East Belt Boulevard observed a vehicle on fire in the parking lot of the Hickory Hill Community Center. The Richmond Fire Department and the Richmond Police Department responded. After the fire was extinguished, officers found the bodies of Gonzalez-Carabantes and Monroy-Membreno inside the vehicle.

Autopsies, conducted today by the Medical Examiner’s Office, showed no signs of trauma to either person. A determination of the cause and manner of each of their deaths may be made once toxicology tests are completed.

At this point in the investigation, RPD detectives have found no evidence of foul play. Arson investigators will determine the cause of the fire.

Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Christopher Foultz at (804) 646-6996 or Crime Stoppers at 780-1000 or text Crime Stoppers at 274637, using the key word “ITip” followed by your tip. Both Crime Stoppers methods are anonymous.