“We don’t want them to forget it,” said his sister about the investigation of the case that remains open and with many questions for the family.
BOISE, Idaho — In October 2023, hundreds of community members gathered to pay tribute to Cesar Sandoval of Caldwell, Idaho, whose death remains a mystery.
After almost a year, Sandoval’s family spoke with KTVB. His sister Esperanza said, “he was happy. He loved his family. He loved his children.”
“My son was always happy and very hard-working,” said Antonia Sandoval, César’s mother.
They said they have questions about Caesar’s death as they remain unanswered to this day.
“That day, we were at a family party, and when I left, my son was fine,” Antonia said.
Esperanza said that after César left the family party, he never came home.
According to the Canyon County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO), at 1 a.m. on October 1, 2023, they received a call of a “man down” near the intersection of 10th Avenue and Homedale Road.
Caldwell Police Department (CPD) officers were the first to respond to the scene. CPD said officers found Cesar lying on the side of the road and needed immediate medical attention.
“What we know about his injuries. He suffered blunt force trauma to the head,” Esperanza said.
They transported César to the hospital, where he died several days later.
“All we know is what happened there. That resulted in his death,” Esperanza said.
The Canyon County Sheriff’s Office is leading the investigation into Cesar’s death. The office told KTVB it is still an active case, but his family is not satisfied with that.
“We don’t want him to be forgotten, and we don’t want, especially, we don’t want him to be treated like a Mexican, a Latino who was found on the street,” Esperanza said.
The family has questions for police, which they say are not being answered. One is why officers never collected Cesar’s cell phone as evidence since it was with him the night of the incident.
Esperanza said that, to this day, they know nothing.
The Canyon County Sheriff’s Office and Caldwell Police Department declined KTVB’s request for an interview, but provided written statements.
“The Canyon County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) was not the agency responsible for returning your daughter’s cell phone. The agency that initially responded returned the phone to her daughter at the scene. Additionally, CCSO was not involved in the investigation until approximately ten (10) hours after the incident occurred, when the initially responding agency determined that it occurred outside of its jurisdiction and contacted CCSO to take over the case.”
Caldwell police said the first officers on the scene believed they were assisting with a medical call, so when they finished using the phone to confirm Cesar’s identity, they gave it to his daughter.
“CPD officers responded to a call of a man who had fallen and found Cesar Sandoval lying on the side of the road and in need of medical attention. While they were trying to figure out who he was, they answered his phone. His daughter showed up a short time later and also identified him. At the time, the officers believed it was a call for medical assistance for an accident, so when they finished checking Cesar’s phone for identification purposes, they gave it to his daughter. Shortly thereafter, CCSO intervened when it was determined that the incident had occurred in their jurisdiction. By then, the phone was no longer in the hands of the police.”
Once CCSO determined the incident was within the jurisdiction of the sheriff’s office and began an investigation, the phone was already out of police custody.
KTVB spoke with forensic expert Tiffany Roy to find out what standard practice is in a case like Caesar’s.
“What do police and detectives look for when they arrive at a scene like this?” asked KTVB’s Brenda Rodriguez.
“I think one of the first things they would look for is their cell phone. And you can get a lot of information from someone’s cell phone about where they’ve been, who they last talked to, maybe who they were with,” Roy responded.
The sheriff’s office said they will not discuss the evidence as this is an ongoing investigation.
“I think it would be up to the last agency, the sheriff’s office, to make sure that all evidence is collected, labeled and stored,” Roy said.
In a phone call, Cesar’s daughter told KTVB that she still has his cell phone.
“Is it too late to receive that cell phone and turn it over as evidence?” asked KTVB’s Brenda Rodriguez.
“No, I don’t think it is. I absolutely think the police should have that phone in custody,” Roy responded.
Roy added that a missing piece of evidence, like Cesar’s phone, could prevent a case like this from being solved.
“It’s very difficult to solve some crimes when you have very little information. It’s very important evidence. There’s information on the phone, whether or not it could help the investigation is something you can’t know until you look at it,” Roy said.
As CCSO continues the investigation, this grieving family said they are hopeful that one day they will know what happened to Cesar.
“I would just tell him I love him and give him a big hug,” Esperanza said.
“I love him, the whole family loves him and we miss you very much,” concluded Antonia, César’s mother.
