A deceased male whose body was discovered on Sept. 15 in a wooded area located between La Jolla Farms Road and Blacks Beach in La Jolla was identified as a 29-year-old Japanese photographer who had come to Los Angeles for a music photo shoot two weeks before, authorities said Monday.
The San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office identified this male through a fingerprint comparison as Go Masuda. The authorities said that he had committed suicide by hanging.
An investigator with the examiner’s office, acting on a hunch, contacted the Japanese Consulate in Los Angeles to inquire into any possible missing Japanese citizens. The Japanese Consulate and the Los Angeles Police Department had a Missing Persons report for Go Masuda and a possible connection was made.
Masuda had traveled from Japan to Los Angeles on Sept. 1 for a photo shoot. He disappeared on Sept. 3 when his rental vehicle was found abandoned on a Los Angeles freeway.
At 7:55 p.m. on Sept. 3, Masuda used a freeway call box to seek assistance, saying he had run out of gas on the northbound San Diego (405) Freeway at Montana Street, according to Detective Bruce Kuehl of the LAPD’s Missing Persons Unit, City News Services reported.
When the California Highway Patrol arrived, photo equipment was found inside the vehicle, but there was no sign of Masuda and no evidence of foulplay. The car was returned to the rental agency.
At the time, Masuda’s physical and mental health were described as good, and he had no prior history of running off. Family and co-workers said he was very responsible and his disappearance was out of character.
He knew Southern California well and had lived in San Diego in the past.
Go Masuda’s family resides in Japan and has been notified of the identification and his death by the Japanese Consulate.
