Dariberto Velazquez Mendez was 32 when he was found dead inside a parked vehicle on the 200 block of Porter Street in Wilmington, Delaware. Officers and emergency personnel responded about 8:45 a.m. on January 8, 2017, and pronounced him dead at the scene. Initial reports described severe, unmistakable injuries; one account said he appeared to have suffered a gunshot wound to the head while another referenced obvious upper-torso injuries. Authorities classified the death as a homicide and said it did not appear to be accidental or natural.

Public information did not establish how long the vehicle had been parked, why Mendez was at that location, what happened in the hours before he was found, or whether anything was taken from him. No suspect, description of an assailant or getaway vehicle, or arrest or charge was publicly reported. If anyone saw activity on Porter Street that morning or knew Mendez’s movements before he was found, investigators would welcome that information.