An Illinois car salesman, Crisóforo Osorio Gonzalez, 36, was found dead in Chicago, Illinois, on Sunday, February 11, 2024, about an hour and a half away from the dealership, and a day after disappearing during a test drive with two clients.
The victim took potential customers out for a drive from 21st Auto Sales in Rockford on February 10 but did not return.
Osorio Gonzalez, who worked as a manager at the dealership for two years, was discovered with gunshot wounds to the back of his head in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood, which is roughly 90 miles from the dealership. The car he used for the test drive was later found abandoned in Chicago.
Born in San José Estancia Grande, a town and municipality in Oaxaca in southwestern Mexico, he immigrated to the United States and resided in Rockford, Illinois, for over two decades.
In addition to his role as a car salesman, he also specialized as a mechanic for the company.
The dealership owner, who requested anonymity, described him as caring, emphasizing that his dedication to selling cars extended beyond mere transactions. ”He was always cheerful, treating customers like he had known them for 20 or 25 years,” he said.
The dealership owner, troubled by the incident, said he’s been unable to sleep and is seeking justice, echoing the sentiments of the victim’s family: “We just want justice.”
The victim had been living in Rockford with his girlfriend and her child. To cover funeral expenses, his family established a GoFundMe page. The fundraiser has generated over $3,400.
A tribute on the fundraising page, translated to English from Spanish, states: “We are all devastated by the loss of Crisóforo Osorio González, also known as ‘Nikitas,’ and we were unprepared for the high funeral costs. We want to give Cris the tribute he deserves, honor his memory, and bid our final farewell.”
This incident bears resemblance to a similar case in April 2023, where Arlington, Texas teens were arrested for allegedly shooting and killing a car owner during a test drive. Khudhair Hamdan, 55, lost his life in that incident while attempting to sell a relative’s car, a Purple Dodge Charger.
According to the arrest document in that case, surveillance footage from the location where the vehicle was left, and mobile phone data indicating one individual’s presence at various sites during the event led to the identification of the suspects in Hamdan’s murder.
