What Happened to Dominic Castillo?
In January of 2017, Dominic Castillo and his dog arrived in Memphis, Tennessee, with the intention of backpacking. Castillo had brought very little, mainly just a tent he intended to sleep in. He was an adventurous soul with a desire to explore the country.
Castillo was 22 years old and had traveled from Albuquerque for the opportunity to explore. He’d already been through Oklahoma and then Arkansas. His dog, Lily, had three legs but was up for the trek.
On January 22, Castillo posted a picture on Facebook of the Mississippi River. He’d been infatuated with the river after reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. It was a dream of his to visit the river after having spent a childhood fishing, building forts, and getting muddy.
Days passed. Castillo’s family had not heard from him since they saw the post online, even though they had texted him numerous times. They worried about him, and it would seem that their fears were warranted.
On February 11, a man and his daughter riding ATVs stumbled across a disturbing site in Whitehaven’s Nonconnah Creek. It was Castillo’s body. Investigation revealed that Castillo had been killed by strangulation. While he was missing a wallet, he did have some money and an ID card.
