A Florida probationer is facing a first-degree murder charge after authorities say he stalked, killed and dismembered his 71-year-old stepfather.
Investigators began focusing on Jose Proano after a gruesome discovery was made shortly before midnight on Aug. 4: human remains packed inside three suitcases.
The luggage was recovered along a road in Orlando, not far from the home shared by Proano’s mother and stepfather, officials said.
Jose Proano, 44, has been charged with first-degree murder after authorities accused him of killing and dismembering his stepfather. (Orange County Corrections)
Nearly 23 hours before the suitcases were found, relatives of Jorge Vazquez-Escutia had contacted authorities to report troubling signs at his home.
According to an affidavit filed in Florida’s Ninth Judicial Circuit Court, family members discovered his phone, wallet and keys inside the residence, along with what appeared to be blood on an exterior fence.
His vehicles were still parked in the driveway with their doors unlocked, something a relative described as unusual. Family members told Orange County Sheriff’s Office deputies they had not seen Vazquez-Escutia in three days.
Then came another alarming detail: friends of Proano had contacted the family claiming he told them he had killed his stepfather, according to court records.
The sheriff’s office quickly took to social media asking for the public’s help finding Vazquez-Escutia because of “concerns for Jorge’s wellbeing, as he suffers from memory loss.”
Then footage from a neighbor’s security camera showed a disturbing series of events.
On the morning of Aug. 2, the day after the missing man was last seen, the security video showed a man wearing a black shirt jumping over the back wall of Vazquez-Escutia’s home.
Jorge Vazquez-Escutia was reported missing by his family in early August before pieces of his body were found in luggage near his home. (Orange County Sheriff’s Office)
Later, the same man appears at the back of the house “bringing out suitcases … and ultimately placing what appeared to be a human arm, into the suitcase,” court records show.
And at about 4:28 p.m., the video shows the man in black walking down the driveway, carrying three pieces of luggage.
The suitcases “appeared heavy, as the male’s left tricep muscle was clearly flexed as he was pulling them,” detectives reported.
Investigators called Proano, 44, and asked to meet with them. They’d reviewed his phone records, which showed it had been in the area about the same time the man in black was seen on security video.
Slowly, they pieced together a timeline.
Jorge Vazquez-Escutia’s remains were found in the Orlando area. (iStock)
Days earlier, Proano traveled to the area from Northport, about 150 miles away. Proano’s ex-wife told authorities he’d been “acting erratic, making threats towards her,” court records show.
Proano agreed to meet with investigators, court records show.
He told them he had a “negative relationship” with his stepfather, and believed Vazquez-Escutia had “restricted his ability to see his mother.” He also told investigators about his schizophrenia, which causes voices in his head that lead “him to worry about members of his family.”
Records showed he’d made numerous calls to 911 asking for someone to check on his mother. He believed “bad things were happening,” records with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office show. Deputies checked, found all was well at the home, and reported back to reassure him, records show.
But something bad had, indeed, happened.
And about 23 hours after Vazquez-Escutia was reported missing, investigators made the terrible discovery.
Just before midnight on Aug. 4, deputies searched the area surrounding Vazquez-Escutia’s home. They suspected the three suitcases could hold important clues.
Then they happened upon one with an ominous odor lying behind a nearby brick wall. And when a crime scene investigator flipped it open, she found a human head. It belonged to Vazquez-Escutia, records show.
Two more pieces of luggage were found about 400 feet away along a roadway. Dangling from them were luggage tags with Proano’s mother’s name.
Unzipping them and flipping them open, the technician found tarps and more body parts of the missing man.
Proano was “adamant” that the person in the video wasn’t him, investigators noted. But he later admitted that “it was in fact his cell phone and that it was in fact on scene,” a report shows.
Investigators found “defensive style injuries” on Proano’s body, including scratches on his hands, arms, and large scratch along the right side of his cheek.
In 2022, Proano was charged with a slew of crimes related to an armed burglary he committed. After a plea bargain greatly reduced his sentencing from what could have been as long as 20 years, he was out on probation until 2027. His most recent charges violated the conditions of his probation, causing that case to be reopened.
He is being held without bond in Orange County. His public defender declined to comment about the case to News Outlet, saying “our client has not given us permission to discuss his case.”
A GoFundMe has been set up to raise money for Vazquez-Escutia’s family to pay for funeral expenses. The page for the fundraiser describes him as “a kind-hearted, gentle, and generous man who was always ready to lend a helping hand to neighbors, friends, and family alike.”
