Van towed to Memphis impound lot; takes 7 weeks before anyone noticed the dead body inside

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At least 19 Memphis officers failed to find man's body in van

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During a stretch of 49 days, 19 Memphis police officers and an impound lot employee never saw the body of Bardomiano Perez Hernandez in the back of a van towed to the city lot after an attempted robbery in Binghamton last year.

Perez Hernandez suffered a single gunshot wound to his torso during the robbery, and the attorney representing Perez Hernandez's family says the oversight contributed to the victim's death.

"Bardo never had a chance. He died alone. He bled out," said Aaron Neglia, an attorney with Horne and Wells, representing Perez Hernandez's family. "We believe he could have survived if he had medical treatment and he would be with his daughter today. But because he was overlooked, he never had that chance and I think that is awful."

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The impound lot incident unfolded on a frigid night on Dec. 18 in the parking lot of the Maureen Manor apartment complex, according to an incident report.

Officer Jeffrey Arthur was the first officer to make the scene on the aggravated assault call about the shooting shortly before 9:30 p.m.

Arthur found Pablo Castor sitting in the driver's seat of a white 2001 Econoline van in the parking lot in the 3000 block of Yale Avenue in Binghamton.

Castor suffered three gunshot wounds, twice in the neck and once in the torso.

Arthur started first-aid on Castor and called Memphis Fire Department.

The fire department took Castor to the Regional Medical Center where he survived his gunshot wounds, but was in the hospital for nearly two months.

At the crime scene, more police arrived and began their investigation. They learned that Castor and another man, Florensio Perez, were sitting in the van, drinking beer and listening to music when two men attempted to rob them, according to the incident report.

Shots were fired, and the two gunmen fled on foot. Authorities later arrested Mardracus West, 19, and Earl Brown, 20, charging them in connection with the shooting.

Officers found gunshot damage on the driver's side of the van parked on the west side of the apartment complex.

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But nowhere in the log nor in the incident report was any mention that a third man, Perez Hernandez, lay in the back of the van bleeding from a gunshot wound.

Called "Bardo" by friends and family, Perez Hernandez would not be found until 49 days later when the wounded driver, Castor, was released from the hospital Feb. 5 and went to the Memphis police impound lot to retrieve his van before it was auctioned by the city.

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