TWAIN HARTE, Calif. — After months of trying to figure out what happened to their brother, two sisters got an answer after his body was found in Tuolumne County. But, what they didn’t find was closure.
The body of 31-year-old Rod Trujillo was found near South Fork Road near Twain Harte on Jan. 24. The Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office says Trujillo was reported missing for months before his body found.
Janelle Mellis, Trujillo’s sister, said her brother left behind a seven-year-old daughter named Echo Trujillo and a lot of friends and family that loved him.
“He was a very loving, caring person in this community. He was born and raised in Tuolumne County. There's a lot of friends and family that absolutely loved and adored him. He was a tree climber. He cut trees down for a living, very hardworking man. And he really did love his family,” she said.
Trujillo was a Native American man with Navajo and Apache roots. Shauna Serrano, Trujillo’s older sister, said he was deeply connected and passionate about that heritage. He was a regular dancer at the Acorn Festival.
“Rod has danced since he was a baby. We danced all over California, all over Tuolumne County," Serrano said. "He was just a baby when he started dancing in public in front of hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people. It's heartbreaking."
The death of their brother was one thing, but the manner in which deputies say he died has the sisters at odds with the sheriff’s office.
Ashley Boujikian, spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, told ABC10 in an email that the preliminary autopsy indicates Trujillo was hung and possibly committed suicide. Boujikian said Trujillo was found with a rope around his neck that was slung over a tree branch. Citing family members, Boujikian said Trujillo had made statements about killing himself.
Deputies said there was no indication of foul play and that the investigation is still open pending a toxicology report.
Mellis said the comments about suicide were true, but said that it doesn’t address many other questions that she had surrounding her brother’s death. Her sister agrees.
“He would have stood up. He wouldn't have left his daughter. He wouldn't have left nieces. I mean, we already have a sister that was murdered in 2006. I mean, he wouldn't do this to his nieces -- that their mom already is gone. He wouldn't do it,” Serrano said.
Mellis and Serrano both suspect foul play. Their suspicions stem back to unanswered questions when they were searching for their brother themselves.
“I think that the investigation wasn't properly conducted by the Tuolumne (county sheriff’s office). They have had information given to them on whereabouts my brother had possibly was, you know, and… they actually found his body less than a mile and a half from the last known whereabout where he was,” Mellis said.
“We've had questions and not answers, since this has begun in August,” she added.
Serrano also believes their brother could have been found a long time ago.
The Tuolumne County Sheriff's Office says that its deputies investigated an altercation involving Trujillo on August 22 where according to witnesses he allegedly attacked a person and a dog. Deputies searched for Trujillo but were unable to locate him.
(Editor's Note: This article was updated with information from the Tuolumne County Sheriff's Office.)
Rod Trujillo: 'A very loving, caring person'
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