He ran the popular “Dalla Taxi” in the Lake Independence area and Antonio Orellano was well known for what he did –and that’s why when his body turned up this morning with multiple bullet wounds, no one knew quite what to make of it because he wasn’t known to be a troubled or a troublesome man. But trouble found him sometime last week. Jacqueline Godwin found out more this morning at mile three on the Western Highway.
Jacqueline Godwin Reporting,
Exactly one week after he was first reported missing, well known Dollar Taxi driver of the Lake Independence area Antonio Orellano was found dead. The body was discovered lying on its side and the victim’s hands were clasped. It was in a bad state of decomposition. The body was discovered in the bushes behind me, 30 to 40 feet off the Western Highway by mile 3.
When 7News arrived at the location the police were already at the scene and despite the rain, family and friends of the victim remained on site in total shock and disbelief that their loved one had been found dead. Police explained to twenty three year old Rose Marie Godoy that the condition of her common law husband’s body was such that while his hands were intact the only thing she would have been able to see was his face. Police then led her to officially identify the body.
As expected Rose Marie Godoy was overcome with grief and momentarily collapsed. The family had been hopeful that he would have been found alive and well. They posted flyers like this one since Antonio Orellana better known as Tony went missing on January twenty – eighth. Also on the scene was close family friend Norman Lainfesta. Because the homicide is now in the hands of the police he did not want to discuss details, but did say that it is the last thing they had expected to happen.
Norman Lainfesta, Close Family Friend
“We know he usually ran the Lake I van in the morning so when he left the Wednesday morning and he didn’t come home the night, I told my girlfriend because three of us live in the same house. I told her that maybe he must have met a girl and went somewhere. Well he was a cool, quiet person, easy going – that is all I know about him.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
And as far as you know, nothing was troubling him, no one was threatening him?
Norman Lainfesta,
“Well he is somebody who usually keeps to himself. He would come, take a shower, go early in the morning and come back about ten in the night and sleep – that is about it.”
Rose Marie Godoy, Common Law Wife of Murder Victim
“We went to the newspaper, Amandala to let them put it in the newspaper. They said it on the radio and then we made flyers so we could hang it out all
over the place so that if anybody had information, they could call.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
In your heart though you knew that something must have happened to your husband?
Rose Marie Godoy,
“At first when I found out I never really thought that he was dead and thing like that. I just…”
Jacqueline Godwin,
When did you started to suspect that something was wrong here?
Rose Marie Godoy,
“Well it has been a week since he has been missing so then I just said well that was the last option on my mind but now…”
The area where the body is found is known to be frequented by persons in search of line sticks but it is not certain if one of those persons came across the body and the called the police. The police forensic team led by Chief Pathologist Dr. Mario Estradabran arrived, they processed the scene and got ready to do the post mortem on site. As the examination commenced a number of people had gathered along the Western Highway. One of those persons is Godwin Panting who owns the Dollar Taxi Service where Antonio Orellana had been working for the past two months.
Godwin Panting, Co-Worker/Owner of Taxi Service
“When I was running a guy told me that they just discovered his body so I said let me drive up this road and see.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
You had to see it in order to believe it.
Godwin Panting,
“Yes because I was looking to see the man ever so long.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
Do you know if he was being threatened or if he was scared of anything?
Godwin Panting,
“No he didn’t told me any thing concerning any threat or anything to his life.”
Sometime after Antonio Orellana was reported missing last week Wednesday, the van he was running the Dollar Taxi in and the vehicle he was last seen driving was found abandoned on Banak Street. Even then the family remained hopeful.
Jacqueline Godwin,
What went through your mind when they found his van abandoned on Banak Street?
Rose Marie Godoy,
“Well…to be honest I just thought that maybe the van was broken down and stuff like that.”
At that time Panting says he did not know that his former co worker had been missing.
Godwin Panting,
“I saw the van parked on Banak Street close to a plum tree. So I said what was Tony doing here because all of us run Dollar Taxi in the morning. At that hours all of us are cutting, trying to pickup the pieces.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
At that time you knew he was missing?
Godwin Panting,
“No I didn’t so I just wondered why Tony was parked there and everybody should be working at this time. So I didn’t say anything.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
So when you found out that he went missing and remembered where you had seen
the van, did you begin to realize that this thing doesn’t look good, that something bad may have happened to him?
Godwin Panting,
“That’s right, that is the way I think too because I said Tony would never leave that van parked and the area where the van parked, it was a very very cagey area; very cagey because it is like the van came from off the highway and just split around that street and parked right there. So it looked very very fishy.”
Unconfirmed reports are that shortly before Antonio Orellana went missing he had received a telephone call.
Jacqueline Godwin,
Do you believe it is someone who may be tricked Tony into believing maybe they wanted a drop somewhere and then he was probably led up to this area?
Godwin Panting,
“I nearly feel so. According to some of those guys out there he received a call and he left.”
But who would want to kill Antonio Orellana, described as a great father to his two young children? When 7News was on the scene we did observe that the authorities had taken great interest in this small wooden house situated just across the highway from the where the body was found. It appeared that it had been abandoned. But sources tell 7News that what caught the attention of investigators is that a piece of cloth found next to the body is the same kind of material that was found on the property. However it is not known if Antonio Orellana had been in that area at anytime. It is one led we understand the police are now following up on.
Following the examination of the remains Chief Pathologist Dr. Mario Estradabran says he believes Antonio Orellana was killed seven to eight days ago.
Jacqueline Godwin,
Any visible signs of injuries, what do you believe?
Dr. Mario Estradabran, Chief Pathologist
“He has two visible injuries, he has entry gunshot wounds to the back of the head; to the left side and the upper back of the head and an exit orifice by the right side of the head close to the temple.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
Do you believe he died where the body was found?
Dr. Mario Estradabran,
“It is hard to say because of the raining conditions and the decomposition process.”
And so it is very likely that Antonio Orellana was killed the same day he went missing. Police say at this time they have no leads.
Rose Marie Godoy,
“Well that person knows who they are and that it is so sad because now he leaves behind his daughter and his son. So now, because he doesn’t bother anyone, a lot of people knew him and it just…that person – I think they should turn themselves in because that is just sad. Now I have to tell my three year old little girl that her dad is dead.”
Norman Lainfesta,
“He was a cool guy. May he rest in peace.”
Because of the victim’s badly decomposed body the family brought to the scene a casket and following the post mortem the remains of Antonio Orellana was taken to the Lord’s Ridge Cemetery where he was finally laid to rest. Reporting for 7News, Jacqueline Godwin.
Police are also investigating the possibility that he had been killed somewhere else and then the culprits threw his body into the bushes near mile three. It’s just one of the theories they are working with. We should note that over the past ten years – the bodies of as many as half a dozen murder victims were dumped in that same half mile stretch which is less than a mile from a police checkpoint.
