by Jessica
On Sunday, August 2, 1981, 16 year old Jose Dominguez left his home in Stockton to meet up with friends to play ball at Stribley Park. He never returned home.
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| Jose "Che" Dominguez via the Record |
Stribley Park is a large park in south east Stockton between State Hwy 4 (Cross Town Fwy) and East Charter Way. The park has a lot of open space, a community center and several baseball fields. It's also just a short distance from the BNSF railroad tracks and an industrial area with several large businesses.
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| Location of Stribley Park via Google Maps |
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| Stribley Park as seen from above via Google Maps |
At the time of his disappearance Dominguez, who went by Che to those who knew him, was a student at Franklin High School where he played trumpet in the school band and he was also on the wrestling team. Initially, it was believed that Dominguez was a run away and San Joaquin County Sheriffs received possible tips from both family and the public who reported seeing him. Unfortunately, none of the tips panned out and his family never heard from him again, even during times of the year like holidays. Investigators and his family believed this was unusual and led to the conclusion that he may have met with foul play.
Though police believed it was possible he was run away a search was done at the time of the area around Dominguez' home and the area of Stribley Park. Nothing was found. Over the years this case received little public attention, and any specific information that police have has not been made public. However investigators did continue to work this case.
When he went missing Dominguez was wearing gray corduroy pants, a black t-shirt with a cancer symbol from the zodiac and the name "Che," and gray tennis shoes. At the time of his disappearance he was described by the FBI as a white or hispanic male, with black hair and brown eyes. He was approximately 5 feet 4 inches tall and 116 pounds.
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| Dominguez via the FBI |
In 1989, an arrest in this case was made but charges were dropped when a witness recanted their statement. Since that time Dominguez's disappearance has remained unsolved.
While this case is associated with Stockton it is the San Joaquin County Sheriffs who are responsible for carrying out the investigation. In 2018, San Joaquin County Sheriff Patrick Withrow ran for office and one of the things he talked about was the creation of a dedicated cold case unit. In 2020, that wish became a reality and two "...seasoned detectives" were tasked with heading up the unit. According to KCRA 3, Detective Sgt. Linda Jiminez and Detective Irene Shelvey were chosen and they were working on approximately 200 unsolved homicides and 150 missing persons cases. One of those cases was that of Jose Dominguez.
In 2021, during a press conference held by the San Joaquin County Sheriff Patrick Withrow, it was stated that new information led the cold case unit to search "areas of interest" in eastern parts of San Joaquin County in regards to this case. At that time police found partial skeletal remains. San Joaquin County Sheriffs are reportedly testing for DNA. While it was stated that DNA tests would take a few weeks no other information is publicly available in regards to the remains that were collected.
It has been over 40 years since Jose "Che" Dominguez went missing from Stockton. His loved ones have never stopped hoping answers would finally come in this terrible case. In a 2020 interview with Fox 40 his sister Corina Garcia told reporters that what she wanted for her brother was: "To put him to rest, you know. To let him have peace."
If you have any information in the disappearance of Jose "Che" Dominguez it's imperative that you contact the San Joaquin Sheriffs Cold Case Unit at 209-468-5087 or you can send a tip by email at coldcase@sjgov.org. You can also contact the FBI with a tip using the information in the flyer below. If you would like to remain anonymous please send a tip through Crime Stoppers at 209-946-0600.
Stockton Crime Stoppers is offering $10,000 for information in this missing persons case and the FBI is also offering $5,000 for the same.
For more information in this case:
Rocha, Angelydet. "Partial human remains recovered in connection with Jose "Che" Dominguez's 1981 disappearance." The Record, 23 Dec 2021, https://tinyurl.com/bdhb2tae.
Macht, Daniel. "Stockton teen Jose "Che" Dominguez vanished 40 years ago. DNA testing on newly found remains is underway." KCRA3, 23 Dec 2021, https://www.kcra.com/article/stockton-teen-jose-che-dominguez-vanished-40-years-ago-cold-case-investigators-have-an-update/38603360.
Miller, Hope. "New Cold Case Unit Created in San Joaquin County." KCRA3, 24 Feb 2020, https://www.kcra.com/article/new-cold-case-unit-san-joaquin-county/31084169.
Recede, Kay. "San Joaquin County family still holding out hope for missing brother nearly forty years later." Fox 40, 10 Jan 2020, https://fox40.com/news/local-news/san-joaquin-county-family-still-holding-out-hope-for-missing-brother-nearly-40-years-later/.
The San Joaquin County Sheriff Office. San Joaquin County Sheriff gives update on Jose "Che" Dominguez disappearance. 23 Dec 2021, found on KCRA3 channel on Facebook.
FBI Kidnapping/Missing Persons Cases: https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/jose-esuaro-che-dominguez.
