Oakland police seeking public’s help in case of body found in suitcase in Lake Merritt

Oakland police are asking the public for information about a man whose body was found in late October packed in a suitcase and partially submerged in Lake Merritt.

Investigators say Gabriel Gomez Raymundo, 23, was found stuffed inside a piece of dark blue luggage on Oct. 31 along the southern shore of Lake Merritt, near the 1900 block of Lakeshore Avenue.

Authorities confirmed he was from Guatemala and had been living in the country for about eight years. Raymundo appeared to be unhoused, though investigators have had a difficult time finding which homeless encampment he had been living in, authorities said.

A motive for the killing remained unclear Wednesday, roughly two weeks after his body was discovered. Police are uncertain exactly when Raymundo was killed or how long he had been in the lake. Authorities used fingerprints to identify him.

Volunteers with the Lake Merritt Institute made the discovery on Oct. 31 while cleaning the estuary’s southern shore — prompting onlookers to gather in shock as investigators pulled the suitcase from the water.

The blue suitcase was partially submerged about five of six feet away from the water’s edge, leading Kevin Shomo, 71, and another volunteer to each use a 10-foot-long pole to move the suitcase near the shore.

“We said, ‘Wow! Wow! This thing is heavy,’” Shomo said. “Normally, we see luggage in the lake, and sometimes it’s full of clothes. Nothing like this.”

Shomo said they then unzipped the suitcase a little and saw a body that appeared to be in the fetal position and covered in a black or brown sheet. They immediately called 911, sparking the ongoing homicide investigation.

Police have asked for any tips that might offer a clue as to where he lived and worked, as well as who he may have known. Officers also are asking for any information about how he died and ended up in the lake.

A reward of up to $10,000 is being offered for information leading to an arrest in the case. Anyone with information can call the Oakland Police Department’s homicide unit at 510-238-3821 or the police department’s tip line at 510-238-7950.