Body of missing young Tri-Cities father found in trunk of car
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- A 27-year-old man was discovered dead inside a car trunk on a Pasco street.
- Pasco police investigating the death. It’s unknown if it’s a homicide
- After more than a week of searching, his mother found his car on Fourth Avenue.
The body of a 27-year-old father missing for over a week was found Sunday in the trunk of his car along a Pasco street, his family confirmed.
Carlos Pimentel’s family aren’t sure what happened to him, but officials are investigating his death as a homicide until more is known.
“He was just an amazing person and he didn’t deserve whatever happened to him,” his sister Catherin Melendez told the Tri-City Herald on Monday.
“He was really trying his best out in this world. We deserve to know what happened to him and whoever did this to him,” she said.
The heartbreaking discovery came after family members spent more than a week searching for him, she said.
Pimentel reportedly left his job at a local lumber yard on April 10, and never returned. Family and friends became worried when he also stopped communicating with them.
“He disappears on Friday night and nobody had heard from him,” Melendez said.
Then a few days later, he received a package at his mother’s house. Normally, he would have contacted her about the mail, she said. “My mom knew something was off. He wasn’t answering her text messages,” she said.
His friends also hadn’t heard from him, and he hadn’t posted on social media.
His family tried to report him missing but Pasco police were initially reticent to open a missing person report because he was an adult who had not been gone long. So, his family began searching for him themselves, Melendez said.
More than a week passed without hearing from him, and Pimentel’s family was able to file the missing report at 8 a.m. Sunday. Still, they continued looking around town, and found his car at 1 p.m. Sunday along Fourth Avenue in Pasco.
They found him when they opened the trunk.
Franklin County Coroner Curtis McGary would not confirm that the body is Pimentel but he told the Herald an autopsy is scheduled Tuesday to determine how the man died. For now, his death is being investigated as a homicide.
Pasco police Lt. Tom Groom said they are investigating the case as if it’s a homicide, and are asking anyone with information to call Pasco police at 509-545-3421.
Lumber worker found dead
Melendez said her brother had some struggles when he was younger but was working at the lumber yard and as a caregiver.
He was the second youngest of five children and grew up in Kennewick. She said Pimentel had a 10-year-old son and enjoyed drawing, taking photo and writing songs. Melendez said he was a great uncle who took the time to play with his nieces and nephews.
Melendez started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to cover funeral expenses.
“He brought light, laughter and strength to everyone who knew him and his presence will be deeply missed forever,” she wrote on the GoFundMe.
This story was originally published April 20, 2026 at 2:27 PM.