Palo Alto Mobile Home Park Homicide Victim Identified: Police

PALO ALTO, CA — A 63-year-old Palo Alto man identified as Timothy Wood was identified as the man found dead by his roommate in his trailer at the Buena Vista Mobile Home Park, the Santa Clara Coroner reported.

A 31-year-old Palo Alto man was arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with a death reported Monday in the park, the Palo Alto Police Department reported.

Isadore Christopher Diaz was already in custody on accusations linked to a separate battery case involving a senior who was walking through the mobile home park and reported it to officers after the homicide victim was found dead by his roommate, police said.

It was determined Diaz is also a resident of the park.

Dispatch received a report of a suspicious circumstance that had just occurred at 6:53 p.m. in the park at 3980 El Camino Real. The reporting party found his roommate injured with stab wounds to his chest in their home. The victim later died at the hospital from those injuries.

Two hours later, a man in his 60s approached an officer at the scene of the death investigation and reported he was the victim of a battery that had just happened nearby. The victim said the suspect had punched and knocked him down. The victim sustained moderate injuries to his mouth and received treatment at a local hospital.

Diaz is serving time in the Santa Clara County Main Jail for the alleged murder, battery and for being under the influence of a controlled substance, the police report added.

Detectives and crime scene investigators processed evidence that pieced together a complex murder investigation that led the authorities to identify Diaz as the suspect in this case.

The identity of the homicide victim has not yet been released from the Santa Clara County Office of the Medical Examiner-Coroner.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the 24-hour dispatch center at 650-329-2413. Anonymous tips can be e-mailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent via text message or voicemail to 650-383-8984. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through our free mobile app, downloadable at www.bit.ly/PAPD-AppStore or www.bit.ly/PAPD-GooglePlay.