Body found in area near Gilroy where man went missing earlier this month: sheriff

(BCN) -- A person's body was found in an unincorporated area of Santa Clara County near Gilroy on Sunday, near where a missing man was last seen earlier this month.

The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office said on X on Sunday that it is investigating whether the body is that of Gabriel Laradelara, a 21-year-old man who was reported missing on Dec. 5, four days after he was last seen near Monterey Road and Rucker Avenue.

The Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner's Office is working to identify the person, while the sheriff's office is investigating how they died, the sheriff's office said.

Laradelara was last seen on Dec. 1 driving a 2003 black Infinity FX45 in the area, which is just north of Gilroy. The vehicle was later found abandoned on the side of the road, according to a sheriff's office press release reporting him missing and asking for the public's help.

Anyone with information on Laradelara is asked to contact the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office at (408) 808-4500, or the Sheriff's Office Investigative Services anonymous tip line at (408) 808-4431 or email at PIO@shf.sccgov.org.

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