Charles Steven Parge

Charles Steven Parge was 32 years old when he died on Wednesday, March 7, 2001, in the Hollywood Hills area of Los Angeles. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died of stab wounds at 1611 N. Vista Del Mar. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a Los Angeles Police Department Hollywood Division case.

The Los Angeles Times Homicide Report recorded his death in a single sentence drawn from coroner's records. It described him as "a 32-year-old male" who "died Wednesday, March 7, after being stabbed in Hollywood Hills." The coroner's record listed his race only as "Other." It gave no other details about what happened, and no follow-up story about his death appears to have been published.

One trace of him does survive. Parents of Murdered Children, a national support group for families who have lost someone to homicide, publishes a long list of names for its National Day of Remembrance, and that list includes "Charles Parge (32)." The age matches, which suggests that someone who loved him, most likely a relative, made sure his name was added to the roll of murder victims. The list gives no other details about him, and it does not say who submitted his name.

Beyond that, almost nothing about Charles Steven Parge has been made public. No obituary, memorial page or family fundraiser could be found for this story. Parge is an uncommon surname, but searches for it turned up mostly other families, including Parge relatives in Wisconsin and Alberta, Canada, and an older Charles Parge of Cerritos who died in 2002. None of them can be connected to the man who died in Hollywood.

Because so little has been released, even the basic circumstances remain unknown to the public. The record does not say whether he lived at the Vista Del Mar address or was visiting, whether he was stabbed during a fight or a robbery, or whether he was attacked by a stranger or by someone he knew. It does not say what time of day he was hurt, whether he died at the scene or later at a hospital, whether anyone saw what happened, or whether investigators ever identified a suspect.

The Hollywood Hills rise above the flatlands of Hollywood, on the southern slopes of the Santa Monica Mountains. The area is known for its winding streets, hillside homes and apartment buildings, and views across the city, and it lies close to the busy entertainment district of central Hollywood, with its theaters, nightclubs and the Walk of Fame. Many residents are renters as well as homeowners, and the neighborhoods closer to the flats are dense and full of foot traffic at all hours.

Homicides in Los Angeles rose sharply in the early 2000s, climbing past 600 in 2002, and detectives carried heavy caseloads. Many killings from those years were never solved.

No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Charles Steven Parge could be found in news archives or public records. More than 24 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who lived on or near North Vista Del Mar in early March 2001, or who knew Charles and the people around him at the time, 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. Anyone with information can call the Los Angeles Police Department at 877-527-3247 (877-LAPD-24-7), or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).