Above: Miguel Gutierrez Jr.
(Courtesy of the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office)
A Fresno County man has reportedly been arrested and formally charged with murder in connection with the death of a man whose body was found in an acquaintance’s garage.
In a press release, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office identified Miguel Gutierrez Jr. as the primary suspect in the death of Ismael Orlando Herrera Jr., 39.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, a man called to report finding a possibly deceased man in the garage of his South Blythe home on the morning of Tuesday, August 1. Responding deputies confirmed that the male subject was deceased.
The homeowner reportedly told deputies that the man did not live at the home, but that he recognized him as Herrera, an unhoused man known to frequent the Caruthers and Riverdale areas. Homicide detectives soon identified Gutierrez as the primary suspect in Herrera’s death.
On Sunday, August 6, detectives received a tip that Gutierrez had been spotted in Ceres, and coordinated with local police to locate and arrest him. With an arrest warrant already on file, authorities located and arrested Gutierrez outside a Ceres motel.
Gutierrez was turned over to the custody of the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, and remains in custody on a charge of murder.
Despite the arrest, the investigation remains active. Anyone with information relevant to the case is encouraged to reach out to Detective Jesse Gloria at 559-600-8217 or Crime Stoppers at 559-498-7867.
Tips can also be left anonymously at the Crime Stoppers website. The case reference # is 23-8858.
It was unclear at press time whether Gutierrez had retained an attorney. All persons arrested on suspicion of a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
