Details about the slaying of a Goleta man whose body was found in North Las Vegas more than two years ago were made public for the first time Friday by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department.
Investigators say they believe Peter D’Orazio, 55, was murdered in Santa Barbara County before his body was transported in a large storage bin to North Las Vegas, where it was discovered by a passerby, said Kelly Hoover, a sheriff’s spokeswoman.
D’Orazio was last seen alive about 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 6, 2012, when he clocked out for the day from his job as an emissions specialist at the ExxonMobil plan west of Goleta, Hoover said.
He was reported missing a week later, and on Sept. 14, 2012, the Clark County Coroner’s Office in Nevada notified local authorities that a body found three days earlier in their area was D’Orazio, Hoover said.
The Sheriff’s Department offered no specific reason why it waited to long to disclose the homicide.
“Due to the unique circumstances surrounding the case and the sensitive nature of the investigation, details have not been released until now,” Hoover said.
An autopsy was performed on D’Orazio, Hoover said, but the cause of death was not being released due to the ongoing investigation.
“Sheriff’s detectives assisted North Las Vegas Police detectives on the case until evidence revealed that the crime likely occurred in Santa Barbara County,” Hoover said. “At that point, sheriff’s detectives took over the case.”
Anyone with information regarding this case is encouraged to call the sheriff’s anonymous tip-line at 805.681.4171.
— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at tbolton@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.