SLO County teen was found dead in a car near Los Olivos. Sheriff says it’s a homicide
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A 17-year-old male from Shandon was identified Tuesday as the homicide victim found dead inside a vehicle in Santa Barbara County earlier this month.
Santa Barbara County sheriff’s spokeswoman Raquel Zick said Tuesday that Santiago Maldonado Martinez was found in the vehicle that was parked in the 6200 block of Foxen Canyon Road, near Los Olivos, at about 6 p.m. March 7.
Emergency personnel responding to reports of a possible vehicle crash discovered Maldonado Martinez and soon determined the vehicle had not been involved in a collision.
The agency reported the incident to the public three days later, saying Maldonado Martinez’s death was being investigated as a homicide.
“This investigation is ongoing, and there is limited information available for release at this early stage,” Zick told Noozhawk at the time. “Detectives can confirm that the deceased victim is male who was in a vehicle along the side of the road, and his death is being investigated as a homicide.”
Authorities have not released any information about how Maldonado Martinez was killed.
Anyone with information about this case can provide an anonymous tip to the Sheriff’s Department by calling (805) 681-4171 or submitting an anonymous tip online through the sheriff’s website.
The tips are forwarded to sheriff’s detectives who can follow-up on the information provided while assuring anonymity, Zick said.
Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully contributed to this article. She can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
This story was originally published March 30, 2021 at 4:04 PM.
