Ruben Panis, a 57-year-old Filipino-American fashion designer, was found murdered in his Los Angeles home on September 9, 1989. Panis, known for dressing celebrities including Zsa Zsa Gabor and the wife of Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley, was discovered bound and strangled at his residence on South Tremaine Avenue. Investigators report his killer used ligatures such as exercise ropes, neckties, or electrical cords in similar cases.

The case was later tied to Juan Chavez, who targeted gay men in Los Angeles from 1986 to 1990. Chavez reportedly was picked up by Panis and then bound and strangled him, taking Panis’s 1977 Mercedes-Benz 450 SL and a 1988 Honda Civic after the murder. Chavez is reported to have confessed to Panis’s killing and several others; he was convicted and received multiple life terms. Chavez died by suicide in prison on September 9, 1999.

Are there readers who knew Panis, his work in the fashion community, or who have information about his last known whereabouts?