It's been six months since the murder of 84 year old Hosakote Shivaswamy.
The Mesa man was working out at a Chandler LA Fitness last August, and never returned home. Chandler police found his body in his car, parked in the side parking lot of the health club, located off Warner and Dobson Road. Police said Shivaswamy died from multiple stab wounds.
In the last six months, detectives have tirelessly worked to try to find the person or people who killed Shivaswamy, a retired engineer described as a loving, affectionate, family man.
Police say all evidence they have so far points toward this being a crime of opportunity.
Although there the LA Fitness facility is covered with surveillance cameras, police said the most frustrating part of this investigation is they were able to get no usable video from the facility.
"The cameras were working, but the unfortunate part of this is the hard drive attached to the cameras was not functioning. Investigators did everything possible with that, unfortunately they were not able to retrieve any surveillance video from that," said Sgt. Daniel Mejia, a spokesman for the Chandler Police Department.
Police also fanned throughout the area, and collected surveillance video from neighboring businesses in the strip mall. Mejia said they were not able to release that video right now, to preserve the integrity of the investigation.
"The sad part of all this is there had been no closure for the family. This is something that has just crushed them. It's devastating to them, this loss," said Mejia.
He described Shivaswamy as a vibrant 84-year-old man who frequented the gym every day.
"It's a senseless killing, just senseless," said Mejia.
Police encouraged business owners to check surveillance cameras frequently to see if they are working properly. A working camera and equipment in this case could have been crucial to solving this crime.
"Here at Chandler PD our crime prevention unit does go out to your businesses and take a tour and suggest placement and what type of cameras should be utilized at your business," said Mejia.
The right angle could make or break any investigation, if police needed your video to help solve a crime, in this case a brutal murder.
Police said they had received dozens of tips in the case, and followed up on every single one of them. They had also interviewed several potential suspects.
"Many of them have been ruled out, but detectives are actively working other leads," said Mejia.
He encouraged anyone in the community who knew anything about this crime, however insignificant they felt that tip may be to call Chandler police or Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS. There is a $2,000 reward for anyone who can help solve this crime.
