And while hidalgo's murder was the penultimate for 2006 - the first for 2007 may be that of a man whose body was found on the roadside on January 1st. He has been identified as 51-year-old Salvadoran Jose Luis Torres Malara. He was found around 7:30 am on Monday on the roadside near mile 43 on the Western Highway. Police say they strongly suspect foul play and this afternoon a post mortem confirmed it. The cause of death has been identified as head trauma due to injury from a blunt force instrument. Malara's son Jose Luis Perez Torres says his father was last seen on New Year's Eve when he appeared drunk.
Jose Torres, Son of Deceased
"Some people said they saw him about twelve o'clock in the village drunk. So I don't really know what happened, if they knocked him or somebody beat him up."
Keith Swift,
Any reason why someone would want to hurt your father?
Jose Torres,
"I don't think so because my father used to be friendly and everywhere he goes, he talked to from the smallest one to the oldest one with enough respect. So I don't know about any kind of enemy."
Police this evening launched a murder investigation.
