In February 2011 near Homestead, a Department of Transportation worker discovered an alligator with a man's body in its mouth, thrashing him back and forth. It didn't turn out to be a case of a man going for a swim in the wrong pond. After investigating, authorities determined the man had been previously murdered and the murderer had purposely fed his body to alligators to hide the crime.
Now, more than two years later, the main suspect in the case, Gabino Gomez, is still on the loose.
After pulling the body from the water, authorities noticed that several feet of heavy steel chain had been wrapped around the body. Several bullet holes riddled the corpse. The victim's fingerprints were found in an FBI database and belonged to Juan Luis Perez, a man who had formerly been imprisoned on drug-trafficking charges.
Local 10 rehashed the story last night and says the suspected murder, Gomez, is still being sought by police.
Back in the '80s, Gomez was one of the biggest drug kingpins in Southern California with ties to drug traffickers in his home country of Colombia. In his heyday, his ring smuggled $32.5 million worth of cocaine into the country. He was eventually caught in an undercover sting after meeting with a money launderer who turned out to be an undercover officer.
Gomez was eventually released to a Miami halfway house in 2010 on parole after spending 23 years behind bars. That's where he met Perez, but no motive has ever been established. The two had met that day, with Perez, then working as a mechanic, under the impression that Gomez needed help checking out a used car he thought about buying.
Gomez disappeared shortly thereafter. His own wife reported him missing.
"Gabino Gomez is nowhere to be found," Miami-Dade Police Homicide Det. Juan Segovia told Local 10. "At this point in the investigation, Gabino Gomez is the person we need to speak to. Gabino Gomez is going to have some answers and may be able to piece this whole thing together. He may have more than just a few answers. He may actually be involved."
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