Case Profiles #60
Eddie Wheeler
Eddie Wheeler had dealt with some rough patches in his life - dropping out of high school in the 12th grade, living on the street, and dealing with a criminal history. However, the 26-year-old had changed his life around: he had gotten his GED, had a steady job with a moving company, and lived with his beautiful girlfriend in Worcester, Massachusetts. On Christmas day of 1998, Eddie was supposed to visit his father and stepmother’s home to celebrate the holiday, however he was unable to make it and called with a guarantee of seeing them the next day, “I promise, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Unfortunately, that promise would unintentionally be broken, when in the early hours of December 26th, outside of Honey Farms on Harding Street, Eddie was shot at close range with a small caliber pistol. He suffered four gunshot wounds to the chest and after a long night of trying to save his life, doctors ultimately were unsuccessful and Eddie died of his injuries. To this day, no arrests have been made in his murder, and the family of Eddie believe he was not the intended target. If you or anyone you know has any information about the shooting death of Eddie Wheeler, please call the Worcester Police Detective Bureau at 508-799-8651 or send an anonymous text to 274637.
Nathan Otero
On October 18th, 2012, Worcester police were called to Clason Road in Worcester, Massachusetts after the sound of gunshots was reported. When they arrived to the east side of Indian Lake at the end of Clason Road, they found the body of 27-year-old Nathan Otero. He was in the parking lot to the small beach at the lake, and he had been shot in the head. Neighbors didn’t see anyone or anything suspicious as it was late at night, and neighbors also didn’t see Nathan’s body. One neighbor called the sound of gunshots in to the Worcester PD direct line rather than 911, and police were not at all expecting to find a murder scene. The beach itself is a small beach that’s open to the public just three months out of the year, and the remaining nine months seemed to attract rowdy teenagers and troublemakers to the beach and the parking lot. Dozens of reports had been made to police about the vandalism, drug dealing and other activities at the beach and in the parking lot in 2012 alone. From the beginning of 2012 to the week that followed Nathan’s murder, police responded to almost 750 incidents at the beach and in the nearby surrounding neighborhoods, which is about 2 incidents a day. Just under a week after Nathan’s murder, the Worcester city council began the process of getting streetlights installed at the end of the road where his body was found as well as the three streets leading to the beach. This had actually been suggested months before Nathan’s murder in April, but unfortunately wasn’t done until what a lot of people felt like was too little too late. Nathan’s older sister Phoebe Gonzales addressed the city council and reported her own speculations about whether a street light could have at the very least allowed someone to have seen and identified the person responsible for her brother’s death or given any information about what the person looked like or the car they were driving. She feels that while lights may not have prevented his death, they would have helped in getting police and emergency services out there quicker. Nathan was the youngest of seven siblings, two brothers and five sisters, and had a long time girlfriend with whom he had a 4-year-old daughter named Natalia. His sister Phoebe stated “It was the greatest thing to watch him interact with his daughter. He was a loving, loving father.” Anyone with any information on the murder of Nathan Otero is asked to please call the Worcester Police Detective Bureau at 509-799-8651 or send an anonymous tip by texting TIPWPD to 274637.
Image sources:
telegram.com - “Whispers, no answers on slaying”
legacy.com - “Nathan Otero”