Lloyd Middaugh, a 42-year-old homeless Caucasian man, was found dead on December 28, 2011, near a riverbed trail in Anaheim, California. His death was the second in a string of brutal fatal stabbings that targeted homeless individuals in Orange County that month, following the December 20 discovery of 53-year-old James McGillivray in Placentia and preceding the December 30 killing of 57-year-old Paulus Smit outside a Yorba Linda library.

Investigators formed a special task force that included FBI agents and local law enforcement to investigate the pattern. Authorities arrested 23-year-old Itzcoatl Ocampo of Yorba Linda on January 13, 2012, after a separate alleged stabbing in Anaheim; officials said they were extremely confident he was responsible for the series and charged him with four counts of first-degree murder. Reports say the assailant had stalked victims along the Santa Ana River Trail before attacking.

The arrests offered some relief, but Middaugh’s death and the other killings had already shaken the homeless community; local groups distributed flashlights and whistles in response. Does anyone have information about Middaugh’s life or his movements in Anaheim that could add context to the case?