Arrest made in Seneca Creek homicide after yearslong investigation
Gaithersburg, MD – Nearly three years after a body was discovered in Seneca Creek, a homicide investigation reached a major turning point with the arrest of a suspect now charged in the killing of a Gaithersburg man.
Montgomery County police announced that a 22-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with the July 9, 2023 death of 45-year-old Jose Israel Centeno Velasquez of Gaithersburg. Tips from the public helped investigators identify the victim after his body was found in the creek near Black Rock Road and the Seneca Creek Trail in Germantown.
On the day of the discovery, officers from the Montgomery County Police Department’s 1st District and Maryland Natural Resources Police responded to reports of a body in the water. The victim was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, where officials determined he died from multiple injuries and ruled the manner of death a homicide.
Detectives with the Montgomery County Police Department Major Crimes Division led the investigation and identified Franklin Villalobos Gomez as a suspect. An arrest warrant charging him with first-degree murder was obtained on February 8.
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Villalobos Gomez was taken into custody on February 9 by the Montgomery County Police Criminal Street Gang Unit. He is being held at the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit pending a bond hearing scheduled for February 10.
Key Points
- A suspect has been arrested in the 2023 Seneca Creek homicide
- The victim was identified as 45-year-old Jose Israel Centeno Velasquez of Gaithersburg
- The suspect faces a first-degree murder charge and remains in custody awaiting a bond hearing
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