2 Persons Of Interest Identified In Car Trunk Murder

CRETE, IL — Two persons of interest have been identified in the homicide of a Chicago business owner found dead in the trunk of his car in Will County, police told ABC Chicago. Francisco Aranda, 63, was found in the vehicle's trunk at his home in Crete Township on June 3, 2019.

Police could not initially see inside the vehicle due to condensation on the windows, but when they opened the car door, they found Aranda's 59-year-old wife with her hands bound tightly behind her back. She was taken to St. Margaret's Hospital for treatment of her injuries.

Francisco Aranda, the owner of a corner grocery store in the Back of the Yards, also had his hands bound.

Man Found Dead In Trunk Was Beloved Supermarket Owner

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The couple was found after a relative contacted police for a welfare check, saying they did not show up for work.

Authorities said Aranda's wife told Will County Sheriff's Department investigators that two masked intruders had entered their Crete Township home the previous evening to rob them.

Police said the intruders bound the couple's hands and placed them in the trunk of their Chevy Impala. In an attempt to escape, Aranda began kicking at the back seat and was able to loosen one side, allowing his wife to crawl through the opening. She told police she heard her husband breathing erratically before she passed out.

"Aranda's actions most likely saved his wife's life," the sheriff's office said in June.

Police said they have identified two persons of interest in Aranda's death and charges are being reviewed, but no arrests have been made, ABC reported.

In June, Aranda's daughter thanked the community for their outpouring of support in the wake of her father's death. A GoFundMe campaign set up for the family raised nearly $5,000.

An obituary for Aranda, also known as "Pancho" and "Mr. Frank," described him as a "beloved husband, father, grandfather, father-in-law, brother and uncle. Respected and loved by his community of friends and colleagues in the Back of the Yards neighborhood ... Don Pancho looked at the good in people, loved his community and always had a smile and a joke for everyone he met."

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