A 28-year-old San Jose man was arrested after police said he approached an officer and reported a killing, leading investigators to a second person found dead at another location.
Police said the investigation began around 5:15 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, when an officer was flagged down by Marcelino Castro. According to authorities, Castro told the officer he had committed a homicide near Lelong Avenue and Alma Avenue.
Officers went to the area, near the Guadalupe River and Highway 87, and found a deceased male. Castro was taken into custody as detectives began investigating the circumstances surrounding the death.
While speaking with investigators, Castro allegedly provided information about another homicide near Autumn Parkway and Coleman Avenue, roughly 2.5 miles north of the first location. Detectives went there and found a second person dead.
Both locations are near the Guadalupe River, but police have not said whether the two deaths occurred at the same time. Investigators also have not released the identities of the victims or explained how they died. Authorities said they are still working to determine the motive and circumstances surrounding both deaths.
Police said investigators do not believe the killings necessarily happened on the same day Castro contacted the officer. That detail remains part of the ongoing investigation.
Castro was booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail on suspicion of two counts of murder. The cases are being investigated as San Jose’s 20th and 21st homicides of 2026.
For now, many details remain unanswered, including the identities of the two people who died, the circumstances leading to their deaths and what investigators believe may have connected the two incidents.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact San Jose Police Department Homicide Unit detectives at 408-277-5283. Tips can also be sent to Detective Sgt. Van Den Broeck at [email protected] or Detective Estantino at [email protected].
