Mark Jeffrey Andrus, the main suspect in the gruesome 'suitcase murder' case, has died reports The Chronicle.
Andrus was admitted to a hospital on Saturday morning for drug-related reasons and died after going to septic shock, according to the report. He was arrested on January 30 as the primary suspect in the case of the human remains found in a suitcase in SoMa, but later released with no charges filed due to insufficient evidence. Despite being released, Andrus was still considered a suspect in the case, which still has not been ruled a homicide.
The SFPD has not confirmed the report that Andrus has died, releasing only the following statement through a spokesperson: "Mr. Andrus is a free man he is not in police custody. I do not have any information on his whereabouts."
Update: The SFPD has confirmed that they've learned of Andrus' death. His public defender, Jeff Adachi, said, "Mark was a good person and I'm very sad to learn of his passing."
Authorities have still not identified the remains found in the piece of luggage last month, although there is speculation that it is Andrus' former roommate Omar Shahwan.