Michael Andrew Espana

Michael Andrew Espana was 22 years old when he died on Friday, Jan. 1, 2010, in West Puente Valley, an unincorporated community in the San Gabriel Valley. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died of stab wounds at 13638 Hutchcroft St. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department case.

He was a young Latino man, and he was attacked in the first hours of the new year. Ed Winter, a spokesman for the coroner's office, told the Los Angeles Times that Espana "was standing outside of his home when someone walked up and stabbed him three times." He was attacked at about 1:53 a.m. and taken to a hospital, where he died at 8:02 a.m., according to the coroner's office.

Two months later, a column by Frank Girardot that ran in the Los Angeles Daily News described the killing a little differently. It said that "Michael Espana, 22, was stabbed to death at a party in the 13600 block of Hutchcroft Street" on Jan. 1. The column named his death as the first of three homicides in the area in the opening weeks of 2010, and it called the neighborhood West Valinda. Taken together, the two accounts suggest that a gathering was under way at or near his home when he was attacked, although neither says who was there or what led to the stabbing.

Beyond these reports, very little about Michael has been made public. No obituary, memorial page or family fundraiser could be found for this story. Other men named Michael Espana appear in news archives, including a defendant in a Northern California case, but none of them is the young man who died on Hutchcroft Street. The record does not say who the attacker was, whether the person arrived alone or with others, or whether deputies ever identified a suspect.

West Puente Valley and neighboring Valinda are unincorporated communities that lie between the cities of La Puente and West Covina. Because they are not part of any city, they are policed by the Sheriff's Department and governed by the county Board of Supervisors. The area is made up mostly of single family homes on quiet residential streets, with many families who have lived there for decades. New Year's Eve parties in neighborhoods like this one often spill out into front yards and onto the street after midnight, which means that many people may have been nearby when Michael was hurt.

Hundreds of people are killed in Los Angeles County every year, and a large share of those killings end without an arrest.

No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Michael Andrew Espana could be found in news archives or public records. More than 15 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who was at or near the gathering in the 13600 block of Hutchcroft Street in the early morning of Jan. 1, 2010, who saw someone walk up to the house or leave in a hurry, or who heard talk afterward about what happened, may hold information that could help investigators. Even a small detail, such as a name overheard, a vehicle seen nearby or a conversation remembered, can help detectives move a case forward. Anyone with information can contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500, or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).