Robert Marcus Perez, 39, of Merced, was found dead inside an apartment at 925 Loughborough Drive around 4 a.m. on Sunday, November 11, 2001. Three people who had gone to the apartment looking for a party discovered his body; investigators believed he had been dead for several days before being found. His identity was confirmed by the Merced County Coroner’s Office after next of kin were notified.

At the time of the report, the circumstances of Perez’s death were described as suspicious. Police did not publicly detail visible injuries or a cause of death, and an autopsy had been performed with toxicology testing still pending. No suspect, arrest, warrant, or criminal charge was reported in the contemporaneous coverage.

Perez had lived in the East Bay before moving to Merced and worked as a warehouseman for Riverboat Casino. He was survived by his daughter Marcella Perez, his parents Lorraine E. and Thomas R. Bingham and Robert L. Perez, siblings Jack S. Perez and Yvonne Apodaca, and extended family; a celebration of life was scheduled at Grissom’s San Lorenzo Chapel/Mortuary.

Does anyone have information about Perez, his last known contacts, or what happened at the Loughborough Drive apartment?