Answers sought in immigrant's death in Shirley

The wooded lot in Shirley where Jose "Chiquito" Sanchez was found dead might portend an anonymous end. An unfenced block of trees wedged between William Floyd Parkway and a bowling alley - a drinking spot and hangout for those living on the margins - contains a few footpaths, a garbage-filled fire pit, and not much else.

But at businesses along the parkway and nearby homes where he made a pinched living, Sanchez is remembered as a regular customer, a hard worker, and an accepted member of a loose community that doesn't want his death to go unnoticed or unsolved.

"He was a good, genuine guy. He didn't deserve that. And we still don't know what happened," said Renee Taylor, a manager at William Floyd Diner, where Sanchez was an occasional dishwasher and handyman. "I cared for him. This is affecting us and we don't know who knows what."

Late in the afternoon of Oct. 6, three people walking through the lot spotted a body near a path and a discarded mattress, just off the road. The body showed no outward signs of injury, and detectives initially believed the person had died of natural causes.

But the Suffolk County medical examiner office's autopsy later showed Sanchez died from internal bleeding. His death has been classified as a homicide. Suffolk detectives say they're still not sure what happened and are seeking the public's help.

Leaving home to help family

The second oldest of 12 children, Jose Sanchez grew up poor in El Salvador during his country's brutal civil war - the family's home state of Morazán was the site of numerous massacres - and went to school for only a year, said his younger brother, Merin Sanchez, 21.

The family rented a piece of land a half-hour walk from their dirt-floor house to grow corn. By the time he was 15, Jose had become a father. His daughter, Marysa, still lives in El Salvador with her grandparents; her mother lives in Los Angeles. When he was 18, Jose moved to the capital, San Salvador, to live with an aunt, hoping to find a better life. A few years later he follow several cousins and others to the United States.

Jose lived in Massachusetts for three years before moving to Suffolk five years ago, Merin said. He had long survived on odd jobs, mostly construction or landscaping, and sent about $300 a month to his family.

A longtime drinker who'd tried and failed to stay away from alcohol, Jose lived in rented rooms and owned little of value. Merin Sanchez's only picture of his brother is one taken after his death, to help officials identify him.

"He didn't have problems with anyone," said Merin, a greenhouse worker, as he sat in his living room in Mastic. "He drank, but he worked a lot, too . . . He was calm."

With donations from friends and the help of the El Salvadoran consulate, the body was returned to El Salvador for burial. The family says he was 33 years old; police believe he was 30.

Described as willing worker

Merin last spoke with his brother a few weeks before his death. "He said he was well, but only working about three days a week."

Elvis Migdonis, 37, a cook and friend, described Sanchez as a willing worker who would at times speak of his daughter, and a broken relationship with her mother.

Taylor said Sanchez was a reliable person to fill in washing dishes or doing odd jobs. She recalled hiring Sanchez to help her move. "I paid him $50 and he hands me back $20. He said, 'No, that's too much, you need it more.' He knew I was a single mom," she said.

Sanchez was a self-taught carpenter who could also lay tile, fix drywall, paint, or do other kinds of manual work, said a neighbor and occasional employer who asked not to be identified. "He was a very intelligent man and he never asked me for anything but a job," he said. "They should find out who did this. It could have been you or me."

For his part, Merin Sanchez said, "I want to see justice done."

Det. Lt. Gerard Pelkofsky of the Homicide Squad said the department was awaiting forensic test results and declined to further describe Sanchez's injury. "We're still gathering the information we need to make an educated opinion," he said.

Police have spoken with a man who they believe was hurt in the lot on the night when police believe Sanchez died. The man also suffered a serious internal injury and was hospitalized. "He's given conflicting accounts of where he was when he was injured . . . and he's said he was injured but not attacked," Pelkofsky said.

Suffolk police ask anyone with information about Jose Sanchez to call CrimeStoppers at 800-220-TIPS.