A body discovered Monday afternoon by children on a Gwinnett County neighborhood walking trail was identified as that of a missing 21-year-old man, police said.
Just before 5 p.m., police responded to a call of a body near the trail in the 2000 block of Northcliff Drive, Gwinnett police said in a news release. The children found the body lying face-down and near blood.
The man was later identified by police as Willian A. Tunchez.
“After obtaining results from the autopsy, detectives learned that Willian died as a result of a gunshot wound,” Gwinnett police spokeswoman Cpl. Michele Pihera said. “This case is now considered a homicide.”
Tunchez’s father reported the man missing about noon Monday after he did not return to their Lawrenceville home Sunday night.
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It is believed that he died sometime between 7:30 and 8 p.m. Sunday after he dropped off his brother and left to visit a family member at an unknown location, Pihera said.
His father told police it was out of character for Tunchez not to communicate with family. He had never disappeared before, he said.
“The other family member does not live in the neighborhood of the crime scene,” Pihera said in a statement Tuesday. “Detectives are still trying to determine what the relation is between Willian and the place where his body was found.”
His truck was found parked along a curb a few houses from where his body was found. The truck will be processed to collect further evidence, Pihera said.
Tunchez’s cousin, Manolo Tunchez, told Channel 2 Action News he was part of a worship team at a nearby church, and his family can’t imagine that he was involved with anything that led to his death.
“(We’re) broken down,” Manolo Tunchez said. “We are a pretty big family, and we love each other, and when one hurts, we all hurt.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact Gwinnett police at 770-513-5300. Tipsters can remain anonymous, and be eligible for rewards of up to $2,000, by contacting Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-8477, texting information to 274637 or visiting the Crime Stoppers website.
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