Father Louis Gutierrez, a Roman Catholic priest from Los Angeles known for work with AIDS hospices and homeless outreach, was shot dead in his San Diego motel room on April 26, 1994. He was staying at the Surfer Motor Lodge on Pacific Beach Drive with a fellow priest; early that morning the companion heard a loud crash and a door slam, then found Gutierrez on the floor of a ransacked room with a gunshot wound to the head. An unknown assailant escaped without being seen.

Investigators treated the scene as a possible robbery gone wrong because the room appeared searched for valuables. Evidence collected included a hair, wooden drawer fragments, a shell casing, and fingerprints; those items are being re-examined with modern forensic techniques. The investigation has been hampered by the absence of witnesses and the likelihood the killer was a stranger, and the case remains unsolved.

Does anyone have information about Father Gutierrez’s stay at the Surfer Motor Lodge or that area on April 26, 1994?