San Francisco authorities said a resident, who has been reported missing since last month, was found dead inside his apartment building in Mission District, as revealed by his family.
Christopher Woitel’s relatives said they started worrying about his safety after they stopped getting messages from him starting January 9.
Mysterious Murder
On Tuesday morning, the cause of Woitel’s death was still unknown. The autopsy results were still pending. Neither the police nor the victim’s family released further information about where in the apartment complex he was found.
“It is with a heavy heart that we must inform you of Chris’ passing. Please help us by preserving Chris’ legacy in your memories. Thank you for your love and caring support through these very difficult times,” a spokesman for the victim’s family said.
A homeless man in Emeryville, whom he befriended, may be linked to his disappearance, according to a previous statement by Woitel’s family spokesman.
After Woitel’s family hired a private investigator, they revealed the homeless man said the victim was murdered. When the private investigator interviewed the homeless man on February 2, he had Woitel’s mobile phone, the family said, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
Woitel’s family said, before his disappearance, that a series of posts on social media and messages showed the victim in a “frantic state of mind regarding the homeless man’s possession of his phone and anxiety over the recent U.S. Capitol insurrection in Washington.”
The homeless man coming and leaving from Woitel’s apartment was also seen in surveillance footage taken from Woitel’s apartment.
