After a decade of mystery, the disappearance of 25-year-old Larry Ely Murillo-Moncada came to a tragic end when his remains were discovered behind shelves at the No Frills Supermarket in Council Bluffs, Iowa, where he once worked. He had been missing since November 2009, when he ran away from home amid erratic behavior likely caused by medication.
Despite years of searches, no leads surfaced until 2019, when workers dismantling the store’s shelves found human remains trapped in an 18-inch gap between a cooler and a wall. Authorities believe Murillo-Moncada accidentally fell while climbing atop the coolers—something employees often did—and became trapped, with the loud compressor noise masking his cries for help.
His identity was confirmed through DNA testing with his parents. He was still wearing the clothes he had on the day he vanished. Heartbreakingly, his mother had always suspected he never left the store.
With no signs of trauma or foul play, the death was ruled accidental. The bizarre and tragic case closed one of Iowa’s most haunting cold cases and brought a sorrowful resolution to a grieving family.
