Jun 26, 2008

Detectives find car that fled scene of triple slaying

Search for driver, a 21-year-old Redwood City resident, continues; motive still unknown

By Shaun Bishop / Daily News Staff Writer

Investigators have found the car seen speeding from the scene of a triple homicide in unincorporated Redwood City and are looking for its driver, identified Wednesday as a 21-year-old Redwood City resident.

The San Mateo County Sheriff's Office said Juan Manuel Montero Nambo, whose nickname is "Gasolina," was at the house in the North Fair Oaks neighborhood at 1:22 p.m. Monday when three men were shot dead.

They don't yet consider Nambo a suspect and said he may have somehow been injured in the incident. Lt. Marc Alcantara said that Nambo simply "could have been at the wrong place at the wrong time."

"We'd love to talk with Mr. Nambo and check his welfare," Alcantara said. "He's probably one of the only people that witnessed this."

Alcantara said Nambo previously had been arrested for nonviolent crimes, but declined to elaborate.

Detectives say Nambo was behind the wheel of a blue Honda, which they found Tuesday in Atherton after following a tip from a "cooperating witness," according to a press release.

The Honda is being processed for evidence as authorities work to identify two female passengers also seen inside the car.

Authorities still have not determined a motive for the shooting at 512 Stanford Ave., though they said they have not ruled out gang activity or drugs. No suspects have been named.

The incident left Jorge Guzman-Reynaga, a 26-year-old resident of the home, dead in his driveway. Two other Hispanic men, whose names have not been released, were found dead inside a converted garage.

Investigators believe that a home invasion robbery may have set off the shootings. Alcantara has said they found several guns at the house, though he declined to describe the types or how many were recovered.

Alcantara said authorities have had a difficult time tracking down the families of the other two victims, estimated to be between 25 and 30 years old and believed to have gone by several different names.

Anyone who knows Nambo's whereabouts or anything else about the incident is asked to call the sheriff's office at 650-363-4055 or the anonymous tip line at 1-800-547-2700.



E-mail Shaun Bishop at sbishop@dailynewsgroup.com.