Homicide Victim From Bloody San Jose Crime Scene Found In Santa Cruz County
SAN JOSE (CBS SF) -- A 28-year-old San Jose man who police detectives believe was murdered by his co-worker, was found dead in Santa Cruz County Thursday.
San Jose police homicide detectives received information Thursday regarding the possible whereabouts of Kyle Myrick's body.
At about 4 p.m. Thursday, homicide detectives and crime scene investigators searched the Jameson Creek Road area in Santa Cruz County and located Myrick's body.
The Santa Cruz County Sherriff's Office responded to assist and the Medical Examiner from the Santa Clara County Coroner's Office also responded to the scene. An examination of the body determined that it was homicide victim Myrick.
Volunteers, spearheaded by Myrick's brother Richard, have been searching San Jose and the Santa Cruz Mountains for Myrick since he went missing.
On Friday, January 22, police responded to a suspicious circumstance call at a San Jose motorcycle dealership and learned that Myrick, an employee there, had been missing for hours, and co-workers had discovered a large amount of fresh blood on the walls and floor of a small storage room.
Detectives found a severed human ear at the crime scene, according to a court document.
Myrick went missing from his job at GP Sports on Camden Avenue while working alongside 39-year-old Steve Hlebo. Detectives believe Myrick was murdered by his co-worker.
There was "a great deal of fresh blood on the walls and floor" of a storage closet inside the building, a court document states. "There was also a severed human ear lying in a pool of blood on the floor" and "it appeared as if someone had been dragged from the crime scene..." to Hlebo's truck, which had been parked nearby.
Hlebo was arrested early Saturday and police found a large amount of blood in the cab of Hlebo's white 2003 GMC pickup truck.
After his arrest, Hlebo professed his innocence in a jailhouse interview with KPIX 5.
"I feel I'm being framed here," said Hlebo. "And I know that sounds so cliché, but there's a lot that's going on behind the scenes here."
Hlebo said he has nothing against Myrick.
However, court documents say that when detectives interviewed Hlebo, he "claimed that he had been involved in a physical fight with the victim. Hlebo later told a family member that he had killed Myrick and disposed of his body in the ocean."
Hlebo appeared in court Wednesday in San Jose on suspicion of murder, even before authorities located a body.
Hlebo is scheduled for a plea hearing on February 19.
Homicide detectives are asking for the public's assistance in determining the whereabouts of Hlebo's vehicle between the hours of 5:00 p.m. Friday, January 22 and 2:00 a.m. Saturday, January 23.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Sergeant Paul Hamblin or Detective Jason Tanner of the San Jose Police Department's Homicide Unit at (408) 277-5283 or may call the Crime Stoppers Tip Line at (408) 947-STOP (7867).
