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Uploaded: Sunday, November 8, 2009, 9:40 AM
Updated: Monday, November 9, 2009, 9:09 AM

Body found in Redwood City pool identified
Coroner identifies man found in covered city swimming pool as Gabriel Contreras, 21

by Bay City News and Palo Alto Online staff
Palo Alto Online Staff

Posted by Coco, a member of the Jordan Middle School community, on Nov 8, 2009 at 8:13 pm

Okay.... this is creepy! But I want more details.

Posted by Coincidence?, a resident of another community, on Nov 9, 2009 at 10:35 am

The first name of the victim and his age and the fact that he was "found" in RWC remind me of another 21 year old Gabriel that was reported missing on October 9th(ish). I remember seeing "missing" flyers for him in RWC...saying this young man may be disoriented....

Hope this case answers a lot of questions! RIP Gabriel.

Posted by Local Mom, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Nov 9, 2009 at 11:00 am

Poor guy. He looks like such a likable fellow. Wonder what happened - esp if there was a comment about him being disoriented before. Wonder who told the police that?

Posted by How to ID?, a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood, on Nov 9, 2009 at 11:12 am

How do police ID based upon dental records? How do they know which dental office has their records?

Posted by Not a coincidence, a resident of the Green Acres neighborhood, on Nov 9, 2009 at 11:15 am

Apparently the guy on the flier was the same as the one found.

Condolences to the family. So sad to lose someone, especially one so young.

Posted by Sarah, a resident of the Downtown North neighborhood, on Nov 9, 2009 at 3:06 pm

Rest in peace.

When I first read this story, I was surprised to hear that no one was looking for him. Comments here about his family's efforts are reassuring, though they must, of course, feel a big loss now.

I'm sure the police don't ask all dentists offices for records. They probably get a general match from missing persons reports and work from there.

Posted by John Squire, a resident of another community, on Nov 10, 2009 at 11:57 am

Hi,

I'm a reporter at Palo Alto Online and I'd like to speak with anyone who's seen the fliers around Redwood City. Just some basic questions on what was on it and where they were put up.

You can email me at jsquire@paweekly.com

Thanks

Posted by Dr. Enrique Moreno, a resident of the Old Palo Alto neighborhood, on Nov 10, 2009 at 12:24 pm

Staff at the Newspapers should know the system of Spanish names and last names. In Spanish, a person is formally identified by means of both a paternal last name AND a maternal maiden name. Thus, Gabriel's last name (what English speakers expect to be his paternal last name) was "Estrada" not "Contreras," which was his mother's maiden name.