Roommate 'person of interest' in man's death at apartment, police say

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Police are investigating a homicide that took place in Norcross on Friday.

A man was found dead in his apartment in the 1300 block of Graves Road, Gwinnett County police said.

The victim has been identified  as 52-year-old Geremias Diaz, who was found by his roommate in their apartment kitchen. Police said their other roommate Heraclios Solis-Ortiz may have been in an ongoing dispute with Diaz.

"At the time police arrived, all of Solis-Ortiz’s belongings had already been removed from the residence. Solis-Ortiz is being considered a person of interest at this point in the investigation and has no active warrants for his arrest," a Gwinnett PD spokesperson said.

Channel 2 Action News was at the scene when the death was first reported Friday night.

"It's peaceful over here, that's why I'm surprised," neighbor Jose Luis told Channel 2 Action News.

A police presence in a Gwinnett County neighborhood left neighbors stunned this holiday weekend as investigators try to solve the homicide.

"This is family time right now, so why do something like that?" Luis said.

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Gwinnett County police said a man came home to the Villas de Camino Apartments and found his roommate dead.

It was around 6:30 p.m. when the roommate made the discovery.

"We are talking to the roommate. We believe he may have some valuable information. He has been gone all day at work, so he's just coming home to find his roommate," said Jacob Albright with the Gwinnett County Police Department.

Police found obvious signs of blunt force trauma but aren't sure exactly how the victim died.

There are no signs of forced entry, according to investigators, who are going door to door to find witnesses.

"One of the neighbors did report hearing what they described as sounding like construction noise," Albright said.

The call first came in as a medical problem until responding officers discovered evidence of a crime.

The homicide has neighbors stopping to reflect on the act of violence and its impact.

"I feel sorry for the family, my condolences," Luis said.

Police said it's unclear how long the victim has been dead. They have not yet released his name or age.

Cox Media Group