Man found dead face down in Williamson County field 37 years ago
WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas - 37 years ago, a man was found lying face down in a field in Williamson County, and investigators are still trying to figure out how he got there.
On Dec. 8, 1987, a resident found a man face down in a field at the intersection of Cornerwood Drive and FM 620 in Brushy Creek, down the road from where the Round Rock ISD Technology Center is now located.
The deceased man was identified by police as George Gaitan, a 37-year-old father from San Antonio. Det. Mark McKinney of the Williamson County Sheriff's Office says it wasn't clear what the cause of death was.
"His cause of death was not apparent at that time due to the extreme decomposition of the body. According to the medical examiner, the cause of death was homicide," McKinney said.
Investigators want to know who George was and what was he doing there. Gaitan was believed to have been in Williamson County on business and was staying in a hotel for a few days.
"We don't know why he was there during that specific time other than that it was business related," McKinney said. "But George was known by family, and other witnesses to be involved in buying and selling narcotics. But we can't say that's what he was there for at the time."
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A witness in the case said they last saw George at approximately two o'clock in the morning on Nov. 21, 1987 in the North Austin area. McKinney says there was evidence found at the scene where George was discovered, but they feel his car holds more answers to his case.
"I think one of the more important things is, is, we're still, to this day, unable to locate his vehicle, that he drove from San Antonio to here. It's a 1981 Mercury Grand Marquee. It was green, and it is believed to have had damage to the rear bumper on the right side. We believe that the car could be key to solving this," McKinney said. "If we could, if anyone has any. Any information on that car or what, you know, could have happened to it, or if they've seen something similar to that in the area, or maybe someone has one that's broke down in their backyard or, you know, anything like that. We'd like to take a look at it."
Anyone with any information regarding the murder of George Gaitan is asked to call the Williamson County Sheriff's Office at 512-943-5204. You can also contact Williamson County Crime Stoppers, which has a cash reward for information that leads to an arrest, at 1-800-253-7867 or online at wilcocrimestoppers.org.