Detectives from the Montgomery County Police Major Crimes Division – Homicide/Sex Section have been investigating the death of a man whose body was found the morning of Thursday, February 5, 2009, at the edge of the ramp from eastbound Father Hurley Boulevard to southbound Interstate 270 in Germantown. He was found without identification but through the course of the investigation detectives are now able to confirm his identity.

The victim has been identified as Gerardo Botello, approximately 40 years, of an unconfirmed address. The identification was made by a fingerprint match in the state of New York.

Detectives had put out a nationwide teletype to all law enforcement agencies and regularly checked the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) national data base where critically missing individuals are registered. They had made special contact with law enforcement agencies in all the state entry points to the United States such as Florida, California, and Texas. There were no tips when the case was publicized locally in the Washington Metropolitan area, and detectives had more reason to believe that he was not from this area.

Investigators have only been able to obtain very limited information about Botello, and are now looking for assistance from anyone who may have known him. Anyone with information is asked to call the Homicide/Sex Section at 240-773-5070. Callers may remain anonymous.

The body was discovered at approximately 4:10 a.m. on February 5, when a passing motorist saw it on the edge of the ramp and called police. The unidentified victim, with trauma to his body, was pronounced dead at the scene. The preliminary autopsy results determined the cause of death was homicide and the manner of death was a gunshot wound. It is still not known where and when the victim was killed. It is more likely that the body was left on the exit ramp after the murder occurred elsewhere, but that remains under investigation.

When the victim’s clothing was returned to investigators from the Medical Examiner’s office, a
small 2 inch by ½ inch, blue, paper laundry tag was found inside the jeans worn by the victim which contained a handwritten five-digit number, “22460”, and the name, “Carlos Quintero”. It is now believed that name was used by Botello as an alias.
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