A week after a spokesperson from the San Francisco Police Department told SFist that they didn't have a current homicide count on hand, we're seeing a possible explanation for that information gap. Three older deaths in San Francisco were recently added to the roster, causing the number to rise sharply to 45, the same number of slayings SF saw in all of 2014.

Though San Francisco's most recent homicides remain the shooting of Otis Williams on Friday, November 20 and the stabbing of Jorge Villacorte-Garcia on Sunday, November 22, those deaths are presently being counted as SF's 44th and 45th homicides, respectively.

At present, says an SFPD spokesperson, no arrests have been made nor is any suspect information available in Williams' death. 51-year-old SF resident Jose Freddy Mata was arrested for Villacorte-Garcia's slaying on November 23, and was booked into San Francisco County Jail on murder charges. He remains in custody on $5 million bond.

So how did we get from our last confirmed number of, seemingly, 42, to this number? As previously noted, SFPD's homicide count can be fluid, as investigations and Medical Examiner decisions can add to or subtract from the list. According to the Ex, there are three deaths from earlier this year that were recently added to the count:

• August 24: following an "unclear" incident on that date near Sutter and Gough streets, an unidentified woman died in late September and has been included on the list.
• October 14: The body of a male victim of a September 26 sex crime near Folsom and Ninth streets was discovered in Alameda County. SFPD spokesperson Officer Grace Gatpandan tells the Ex that "while his death is included on the homicide count...it’s only a 'possible homicide.'" His name has not been released to the public.
• November 3: 48-year-old James Muldrow of San Francisco died following a June 6 assault near Turk and Hyde streets, making him SF's 43rd homicide victim in 2015.

According to the Associated Press, San Francisco had 45 homicides for all of 2014, 48 in 2013, 68 in 2012, and 50 in 2011. It's worth noting, however, that those "low" numbers are a relatively new phenomenon: In the years between 2004 an 2008, we averaged 93 annual homicides, with a recent high of 100 in 2007. But with five weeks left in 2015, it seems clear that unless the holiday season brings an unprecedented level of peace to the city, 2015 will be remembered as the first year in a few that the homicide count went up, not down.

Previously: Two More Homicides For SF This Weekend: Afternoon Shooting, Evening Stabbing