Man in Custody After Older Lover Found Dead in South Beach Apartment UPDATED

After Louis Piper didn't show up to work for a few days his co-workers informed police. They went to his South Beach apartment in the Sunset Harbour neighborhood on Wednesday and found 61-year-old Piper's decomposing body. That explained the foul stench neighbors had been smelling. Police believe Piper may have already...

By Kyle Munzenrieder

April 8, 2016

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Update: Miami Beach Police confirm they have Jonathan Alonso in custody.

UPDATE: @MiamiBeachPD is able to confirm Jonathan Alonso has been detained by @MiamiPD and will be interviewed by our detectives. #breaking
— Miami Beach Police (@MiamiBeachPD) April 8, 2016

After Louis Piper didn't show up to work for a few days, his coworkers informed police. They went to his South Beach apartment in the Sunset Harbour neighborhood Wednesday and found the 61-year-old's decomposing body. That explained the foul stench neighbors had been smelling. Police believe Piper may have been dead for four or five days before they found him.

Now Miami Beach Police are asking for the public's help in locating 30-year-old Jonathan A. Alonso. They believe he may be a witness to or suspect in the murder.
According to Local 10, Piper and Alonso were in some sort of relationship, and the younger man lived in the apartment with the older man.

Security cameras showed Alonso last exiting the building Wednesday, the day Piper's body was found. He was holding a small pug dog believed to have belonged to Piper.

The incident occurred on the 12th floor of a condominium tower at 1800 Sunset Harbor Dr. Rumors have surged through South Beach about the grisly nature of the scene, but police have not confirmed anything about the scene other than they're continuing to investigate it as the site of a homicide.Police have been called to the unit before, according to Local 10. Piper once had a restraining order against Alonso and tried to evict him from the apartment.

According to NBC Miami, Alonso had also been convicted of cocaine possession in 2008.

Police describe Alonso as a white male who stands five feet eight inches tall and weighs about 160 pounds. Anyone with information is asked to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS.

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