Long Beach police are asking for help solving a suspected murder after months of investigation has turned up slim information about a suspect or even where the alleged attack took place.
Long Beach police detectives began investigating the death of 53-year-old Paul Machado in early 2021 after the Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner ruled his death was a homicide. By then, however, his death was already at least a month old.
On Nov. 24, 2020, Camacho told an acquaintance that he had been assaulted while in a “homeless shelter somewhere in Hollywood or the Hollywood area,” police said. Machado had been experiencing homelessness, authorities noted.
The next morning at 3:49 a.m. the Long Beach Fire Department was called to a residence in Cambodia Town along the 1300 block of Alhambra Court where they picked up Machado and took him to a local hospital. The coroner’s report said Machado died that same day on Nov. 25, 2020 from internal bleeding caused by blunt force abdominal trauma with laceration of the spleen.
It’s not clear why it took more than a month for medical examiners to rule his death was a homicide, but it’s not uncommon for there to be a lengthy testing and examination process.
Since then, police have been trying to determine what lead to Machado’s death.
“Detectives have spent the past several months attempting to uncover the location of the assault, the motive for the assault, and who is responsible for Machado’s death,” police said in a statement. “Detectives welcome any information from the public which can help determine what may have happened and where.”
Police are asking anyone with information regarding the incident to contact LBPD homicide Detectives Eric Thai or Juan Carlos Reyes at 562-570-7244. Anonymous tips may be submitted through Crime Stoppers by calling 800-222-TIPS (8477) or downloading the “P3 Tips” app on your phone.
Editors note: This story has been updated with the coroner’s death report and Machado’s correct last name, which was previously reported as Camacho based on information provided by LBPD.
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