By Khalida Sarwari
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office is continuing to investigate the murder of a Los Angeles man found dead in the Summit area of the county earlier this year.
A hiker found human remains in a wooded area on Highland Way on March 2, sheriff’s officials said. The victim has been identified as 23-year-old Jose Galvan.
A forensic examination of the remains determined Galvan had suffered a violent death at least one year prior to the discovery of his body.
Detectives identified Galvan based on items found near his body and information obtained by contacting potential relatives in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Mexico. His DNA strongly matched samples provided by relatives.
Galvan had lived in Las Vegas from 2006 to 2007 and was last seen by family in Los Angeles in 2007.
Investigators have not determined where exactly Galvan died or his purpose for traveling to Santa Cruz County. They are not yet releasing the cause of his death.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the sheriff’s office investigation division at (831) 454-2311, the anonymous tip line at (831) 454-2847, or sheriff’s dispatch at (831) 471-1121.