The body parts found inside a suitcase on a San Francisco sidewalk were identified as the remains of a 58-year-old man who resided in the Bay Area, authorities said Wednesday.
The man was Omar Shahwan of Vallejo, California, according to the San Francisco Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
Authorities are still investigating the cause and manner of death, according to Christopher Wirowek, acting medical examiner administrator.
One person was arrested and later released in connection with the discovery of the dismembered body, but that person, Mark Andrus, 54, died Saturday after admitting himself to a hospital the same day, San Francisco Police said.
On Wednesday, police weren’t disclosing what was the relationship between the dismembered man and Andrus, said San Francisco Police Lt. Albie Esparza.
Shahwan’s “ID helps us out a lot. However, we still need to wait for the cause of death,” Esparza said.
Andrus was released from custody last month after prosecutors said they didn’t have enough evidence to prove a case against him.
“We are very disturbed by the facts of this case and are working with the San Francisco Police Department to secure the evidence necessary to prove this case beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law,” the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office said last week. “Given the current state of the evidence, there is insufficient evidence to charge this suspect with murder.”
The dismembered body was discovered on January 28 when police were called to the South of Market district in San Francisco. Other body parts were found in a trash can less than a block from the main crime scene.
“Andrus was our primary person of interest who was subsequently arrested and booked for the crime,” San Francisco Police Department spokeswoman Officer Grace Gatpandan said earlier this week.
Jeff Adachi, a public defender who represented Andrus, said he was sorry to learn of his death.
“During the short time I represented Mark, I found him to be a kind and engaging person,” Adachi said.