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***Loudoun Crimesolvers - Suspicious death of Daniel Soto at the Middleburg Training Center
Posted by:
McGruff
()
Date: September 16, 2011 08:02AM
Accident or Homicide: Details Surface in Suspicious Middleburg Death
By Matt Vecchio
The Loudoun County’s Sheriff’s Office is still trying to solve one of the most significant local crime mysteries of 2009—what happened at the Middleburg Training Center on July 18 that prompted the death of a trainer?
Initially, officials declared the death of Daniel Soto, of Mexico, (whose name was not released at the time) an “unattended death,” but that they were not ruling out foul play. The center is a well-known equine training facility.
“As is protocol, we will investigate the case as a homicide until proven otherwise,” Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Kraig Troxell said at the time of the incident.
The Sheriff’s Office recently released the names of two individuals wanted for questioning in the Soto investigation, two former employees of the training center that disappeared. Alberto Garcia Perez and Timoteo Hernandez Cruz, both from El Salvador, are believed to still be in the area. A wanted posted was distributed on Sept. 16, 2009, but they still remain at large.
"They were no longer on the farm when the Sheriff's Office arrived on the scene," Troxell said.
One source at the facility, who wishes to remain anonymous, told the Independent on July 28 that the victim (Soto) was between 40 and 42 years old, Hispanic, and a heavy drinker. Soto was found dead in a barn, or “staff quarters” some time after he died.
The source shared that the victim had developed bad stomach ulcers from drinking, and that he was on prescription medication.
“The police are telling us the death may have been medication related,” the source said at the time.
“Since that day Loudoun County Sheriff’s Investigators have followed-up on several leads in the death of Daniel Soto, 47, who was a jockey/trainer at the Middleburg Training Center,” Troxell said. “It is known the victim was in an altercation with subjects from the facility (Perez and Cruz). The agency continues to seek the subjects who were believed to be involved in the altercation and investigators have followed-up on possible leads in Florida. The subjects are described as migrant workers and are possibly no longer in the country.”
As of Feb. 23, 2010, the Office of the Medical Examiner had not ruled on the manner of death in this case.
On Feb. 19, 2010, an anonymous posted wrote, “I am a family member of the victim whose name is Daniel Soto. He died of head and trunk trauma. He was beaten to death. He also leaves behind a 3 year old son” on one of the Middleburg Training Center story updates on loudouni.com.
Troxell was unable to confirm details of Soto’s personal life.
"There has been no final determination regarding manner of death," Troxell said. "The medication aspect remains unknown. The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office does not release information from the medical examiners report, this information is typically only released as public record after it is entered into evidence in a criminal case. As of this time the case remains an active death investigation and the agency continues to follow all leads in the case,” Troxell said.
Soto’s suspicious death was the Middleburg Training Center’s second brush with notoriety last year. On March 6, four men were arrested there for allegedly running a narcotics ring. The men were employed at the training center, but police do not believe management at the Training Center was involved. The men were each charged with possession with the intent to distribute cocaine. Police believed they were part of a cocaine ring that spanned at least three counties. Two other searches were conducted in the narcotics investigation resulting in the arrest of a man and a woman were in Fauquier County and two additional men were arrested in Winchester.
"At this time there appears to be no connection between narcotics activity in this area and the death of Mr. Soto," Troxell said.
“The men who were arrested all appeared to work and live at the training facility, which was not itself tied to the [March 6 incident] investigation,” said Virginia State Police spokesman Sgt. Les Tyler in July 2009.
The Middleburg Training Center did not return phone calls to comment.
The facility consists of a 7/8th mile dirt/sand training track with a short chute and starting gate, eleven 20-stall barns, tack rooms, grooms’ quarters, paddocks, grass gallop, and National Hunt fences for training steeplechasers. A veterinary clinic is also located on the grounds.
Attachments:
By Matt Vecchio
The Loudoun County’s Sheriff’s Office is still trying to solve one of the most significant local crime mysteries of 2009—what happened at the Middleburg Training Center on July 18 that prompted the death of a trainer?
Initially, officials declared the death of Daniel Soto, of Mexico, (whose name was not released at the time) an “unattended death,” but that they were not ruling out foul play. The center is a well-known equine training facility.
“As is protocol, we will investigate the case as a homicide until proven otherwise,” Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Kraig Troxell said at the time of the incident.
The Sheriff’s Office recently released the names of two individuals wanted for questioning in the Soto investigation, two former employees of the training center that disappeared. Alberto Garcia Perez and Timoteo Hernandez Cruz, both from El Salvador, are believed to still be in the area. A wanted posted was distributed on Sept. 16, 2009, but they still remain at large.
"They were no longer on the farm when the Sheriff's Office arrived on the scene," Troxell said.
One source at the facility, who wishes to remain anonymous, told the Independent on July 28 that the victim (Soto) was between 40 and 42 years old, Hispanic, and a heavy drinker. Soto was found dead in a barn, or “staff quarters” some time after he died.
The source shared that the victim had developed bad stomach ulcers from drinking, and that he was on prescription medication.
“The police are telling us the death may have been medication related,” the source said at the time.
“Since that day Loudoun County Sheriff’s Investigators have followed-up on several leads in the death of Daniel Soto, 47, who was a jockey/trainer at the Middleburg Training Center,” Troxell said. “It is known the victim was in an altercation with subjects from the facility (Perez and Cruz). The agency continues to seek the subjects who were believed to be involved in the altercation and investigators have followed-up on possible leads in Florida. The subjects are described as migrant workers and are possibly no longer in the country.”
As of Feb. 23, 2010, the Office of the Medical Examiner had not ruled on the manner of death in this case.
On Feb. 19, 2010, an anonymous posted wrote, “I am a family member of the victim whose name is Daniel Soto. He died of head and trunk trauma. He was beaten to death. He also leaves behind a 3 year old son” on one of the Middleburg Training Center story updates on loudouni.com.
Troxell was unable to confirm details of Soto’s personal life.
"There has been no final determination regarding manner of death," Troxell said. "The medication aspect remains unknown. The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office does not release information from the medical examiners report, this information is typically only released as public record after it is entered into evidence in a criminal case. As of this time the case remains an active death investigation and the agency continues to follow all leads in the case,” Troxell said.
Soto’s suspicious death was the Middleburg Training Center’s second brush with notoriety last year. On March 6, four men were arrested there for allegedly running a narcotics ring. The men were employed at the training center, but police do not believe management at the Training Center was involved. The men were each charged with possession with the intent to distribute cocaine. Police believed they were part of a cocaine ring that spanned at least three counties. Two other searches were conducted in the narcotics investigation resulting in the arrest of a man and a woman were in Fauquier County and two additional men were arrested in Winchester.
"At this time there appears to be no connection between narcotics activity in this area and the death of Mr. Soto," Troxell said.
“The men who were arrested all appeared to work and live at the training facility, which was not itself tied to the [March 6 incident] investigation,” said Virginia State Police spokesman Sgt. Les Tyler in July 2009.
The Middleburg Training Center did not return phone calls to comment.
The facility consists of a 7/8th mile dirt/sand training track with a short chute and starting gate, eleven 20-stall barns, tack rooms, grooms’ quarters, paddocks, grass gallop, and National Hunt fences for training steeplechasers. A veterinary clinic is also located on the grounds.
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Re: ***Loudoun Crimesolvers - Suspicious death of Daniel Soto at the Middleburg Training Center
Posted by:
Where's the update?
()
Date: September 30, 2011 06:40AM
Two years later and no updates?