Tustin Machinist Apparently Killed; Found in Alley

A Tustin man apparently killed as he left for work was found early Thursday in an alley adjacent to the apartment he shared with his wife and three children, authorities said.

Police investigators said they found the body of Luis Carlos Vega, 47, about 4:30 a.m. in the east alley of El Presidio Apartments on McFadden Avenue.

“Apparently another neighbor who goes to work at the same time found him,” said Sgt. Jeff Beeler, a spokesman for the Tustin Police Department. “It looks like some sort of blunt-force trauma to the head. Robbery doesn’t appear to be the motivation--he still had his money and his wallet on him. We have no idea of the motive.”

Beeler described Vega, who worked as a machinist in Fountain Valley, as “a very stable family man” who had lived in Tustin for 15 years and had no previous contacts with law-enforcement agencies. “It’s pretty tragic,” he said. “He’s an older family guy, and the family knows no reason for anybody to want to hurt him.”