Michael Shaun Vosburgh

Michael Shaun Vosburgh was 48 years old when he was stabbed to death on Sunday, June 28, 2015, in Hollywood. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died of stab wounds at 6732 Leland Way. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a case of the Los Angeles Police Department's West Bureau Homicide unit.

The Los Angeles Times Homicide Report described him as "a 48-year-old white man" and gave a short account of the afternoon. "Los Angeles police officers received a call about a man bleeding in the street about 4:30 p.m. Vosburgh, who was homeless, was pronounced dead at the scene at 4:44 p.m. with a stab wound to the leg, according to coroner's records." The Times added that "the coroner's office was unable to find a record of his last address."

A wound to the leg is not usually thought of as fatal, which suggests that the blade may have struck a major blood vessel and that he lost a great deal of blood within minutes. The record does not say so directly, and it does not say whether he was attacked during a fight, a robbery or a random encounter, or whether anyone saw the person who hurt him.

His death was later included in a Hollywood Reporter feature, "Murder in the Shadow of the Oscars: 1 Year, 7 Killings," which looked at killings in the blocks around the home of the Academy Awards. It described him simply: "the homeless man, 48, was stabbed to death in broad daylight. His killer was never found." The magazine gave the date as July 15, which differs from the coroner's date of June 28, but the name, age and circumstances match.

Beyond that, almost nothing about Michael Shaun Vosburgh has been made public. No obituary, memorial page or family fundraiser could be found for this story. Vosburgh is an uncommon surname, and searches for it turn up obituaries of other men in Tennessee, Ohio, Maryland and New York, none of whom can be connected to him. Whatever family or friends he had, none of them have entered the public record.

Leland Way is a short street in central Hollywood, a few blocks from Hollywood Boulevard, the Walk of Fame and the theater complex where the Academy Awards are held. The area draws large crowds of tourists by day, and it is also home to many people who live on the street or in shelters and supportive housing nearby. It is patrolled by the LAPD's Hollywood Division.

By the mid-2010s Los Angeles was recording roughly 250 to 300 homicides a year, among the lowest totals in decades, yet many of those killings still went unsolved.

No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Michael Shaun Vosburgh could be found in news archives or public records. More than ten years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who was near Leland Way in Hollywood in late June 2015, or who knew a homeless man named Michael in the area, may hold information that could help detectives. Even a small detail, such as a name overheard, a vehicle seen nearby or a conversation remembered, can help detectives move a case forward. The Times asked anyone with information to call Det. Jose Robledo at the department's West Bureau at 213-382-9470. Anyone with information can call the Los Angeles Police Department at 877-527-3247 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.