Employee located behind store shelves following a 10-year disappearance

Few stories are as haunting, strange, and heartbreaking as that of Larry Ely Murillo-Moncada — the Iowa man who vanished during a snowstorm in 2009, only to be found a decade later in the very supermarket where he worked. His story is one of confusion, tragedy, and unanswered questions that still linger even after the mystery of his disappearance was solved.

A Sudden Disappearance

On November 28, 2009, Larry Murillo-Moncada, a 25-year-old employee at the No Frills Supermarket in Council Bluffs, Iowa, left his family home in a panic. It was the middle of a blizzard. He was barefoot, without his keys, phone, or car. His parents immediately knew something was wrong.

“He ran out the door, and we couldn’t stop him,” his mother said through a translator at the time. “It was cold, snowing hard, and he didn’t even have a coat.”

When he didn’t return home that night, his parents called police. The official missing-person search began within hours, but it quickly went cold. There were no leads, no sightings, no evidence of foul play. Larry had simply vanished.

A Young Man in Distress

In the days before his disappearance, Larry had been behaving erratically. His family later told investigators that he’d been suffering from hallucinations and paranoia.

“He was hearing voices that told him to eat sugar,” his mother recalled. “He thought his heart was beating too hard and believed sugar would calm it.”

Larry’s parents suspected his unusual behavior was a reaction to medication he had recently started taking for mild depression. Friends said he had been struggling with anxiety, and his family described him as kind, hard-working, and deeply loved — but clearly not himself in the days leading up to his disappearance.

Captain Todd Weddum of the Council Bluffs Police Department later confirmed that investigators believed Larry had been in a state of confusion or distress when he ran from home. “It didn’t appear that he intended to disappear,” Weddum said. “It looked like something had gone wrong psychologically or physically that day.”

Despite exhaustive efforts — search parties, missing-person flyers, media coverage — no sign of Larry ever surfaced. His parents held out hope for years, praying daily for closure.

A Grim Discovery

That closure finally came in 2019, ten years after Larry disappeared. By then, the No Frills Supermarket where he’d worked had been closed for three years. The building was slated for renovation, and contractors were brought in to dismantle the old shelving and refrigeration units.

What they found stunned everyone.

Behind one of the large freezers, wedged in an 18-inch space between the unit and the wall, were human remains. The discovery brought work to a standstill as police were called to the scene.

It didn’t take long to identify the victim. Using DNA provided by Larry’s parents, investigators with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation confirmed what many had feared but never expected — the remains belonged to Larry Ely Murillo-Moncada.

He had been there, in the very place he worked, all along.

How Could It Happen?

Investigators believe Larry returned to the supermarket sometime after leaving his home on that snowy night in 2009. The store was closed at the time, but he still had access through an employee entrance.

For reasons that may never be fully understood, Larry climbed onto the top of one of the large industrial coolers at the back of the store. Police theorized that he might have been trying to hide or rest — perhaps confused and seeking a quiet place to calm down.

But as he moved across the top of the cooler, he apparently slipped and fell into the narrow gap between the unit and the wall — a fall estimated to be about 12 feet. Once wedged in the confined space, there was no way to climb out or call for help.

The supermarket’s machinery was loud — the humming and rattling of the freezers constant, almost deafening. Investigators concluded that even if Larry had called out, no one would have heard him over the noise.

“It’s likely he died within minutes or hours of becoming trapped,” Sergeant Brandon Danielson said. “It’s heartbreaking, but it appears to have been a tragic accident.”

Ten Years of Silence

The discovery was devastating for Larry’s family. “Our heads are spinning,” his father, Victor Murillo, told reporters in 2019. “It makes us feel so much pain. We searched for him everywhere. How could he have been there this whole time?”

Victor also expressed disbelief that no one had found his son sooner. “The store was closed, the freezers were off. How could a body be there for years without anyone noticing?” he asked.

That question still haunts many who followed the case. Former No Frills employees later told local reporters that they had occasionally noticed a strange smell coming from the freezer area before the store’s closure, but their complaints were allegedly dismissed or ignored.

Police could not confirm whether those reports were ever officially logged, but the combination of noise, the location of the gap, and the height of the units made it plausible that no one realized what had happened.

The Investigation and Aftermath

After the discovery, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, Council Bluffs Police, and the local medical examiner’s office collaborated to determine the cause of death. There were no signs of foul play, trauma, or struggle. Everything pointed to a tragic accident.

Larry’s death was officially ruled accidental.

For investigators, the case was closed. For the Murillo family, it was both closure and renewed heartbreak. After ten years of unanswered questions, they finally knew what had happened — but the reality was almost too painful to bear.

“He was right there, in a place he knew, a place he worked,” his mother said softly during a memorial interview. “It’s hard to accept.”

Remembering Larry

Coworkers described Larry as a quiet, friendly young man who was always willing to help and rarely complained. “He had a big smile,” said one former colleague. “He was one of those guys who’d give you his break if you were having a rough day.”

Friends remembered his love of music and his quirky sense of humor. “He’d sing along to old pop songs on the radio and make everyone laugh,” said another. “That’s how I’ll always remember him — happy, kind, and full of life.”

Larry’s story has since been used as a cautionary tale about mental health, workplace safety, and the importance of not dismissing missing-person cases as “lost causes.”

Experts who reviewed the case noted that many people with sudden behavioral changes — especially related to medication or mental health struggles — can act unpredictably. “The goal should always be early intervention and compassionate support,” said psychologist Dr. Andrea Lowe. “What happened to Larry is tragic, but it reminds us that no one simply ‘disappears.’ There are always signs.”

A Tragic Lesson

The discovery of Larry Ely Murillo-Moncada’s remains behind supermarket shelves shocked even veteran investigators. It was a mystery that spanned a decade and left a family in anguish. And while the facts may now be known, the sense of sorrow and disbelief remains.

For the Murillos, closure is bittersweet. “At least we know,” Victor said quietly. “At least we brought him home.”

In the end, Larry’s story serves as both a tragedy and a lesson — a reminder of how easily someone can slip through the cracks, both literally and metaphorically, and how vital it is for communities to look closer, listen harder, and never stop searching.

Rest in peace, Larry Ely Murillo-Moncada. Gone, but finally found.