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LAPD detectives search for jewelry made by slain Joseph Gatto
Photographs distributed by the Los Angeles Police Department show jewelry that was made by Joseph Gatto. In an effort to track down a suspect in Gatto's murder, police are hoping to find someone who may have unwittingly purchased from a pawn shop one of the items stolen from Gatto's home.
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Courtesy of Los Angeles Police Department
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Los Angeles police detectives want to know if anyone has recently bought jewelry from a pawn shop that has a signature insignia of the late Joseph Gatto, who was found shot to death in his home last month. Gatto is the father of state Assemblymember Mike Gatto.
LAPD distributed a community alert flyer Thursday saying detectives are searching for jewelry pieces marked “J A Gatto,” along with a circular design.
Joseph Gatto, 78, was a well-known craftsman in his Silver Lake neighborhood who made unique jewelry using all sorts of stone, metals, bone and even Egyptian scarabs, according to the flyer message:
INFORMATION WANTED
MURDER
The Los Angeles Police Department needs your help in the investigation of Joseph Gatto, which occurred in the Silver Lake Community of Los Angeles. Mr. Gatto was a craftsman who created ornate, custom-made, jewelry pieces (rings, bracelets, pendants, and necklaces) using precious metals, stones, bone, ivory, porcelain, glass, wood and Egyptian scarabs.
Mr. Gatto engraved many of his pieces with his initials and name "J A Gatto" along with a circular design.
Detectives are searching for any pieces that may have been purchased or sold by pawn shops. If you have any pieces or information about them, please call Robbery-Homicide Division Detectives Telis or Gable at (213) 486-6890 during business hours Monday through Friday, or LAPD Realtime Analysis & Critical Response (RACR) Division at (213) 484-6700, 24-hours a day.
1-800-222-TIPS (8477)
Text TIPLA plus your tip to 274637 (CRIMES)
www.LACrimeStoppers.org
www.facebook.com/northeastarea.lapd
www.twitter.com/northeastarea
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Gatto was found slumped over a desk in his home on Nov. 13 by a family member. He suffered a gunshot wound to the stomach, according to the L.A. County Coroner’s Office.
No one has been specifically named a suspect in the investigation, though detectives released a sketch about three weeks ago of a car burglar.
Residents saw the armed suspect breaking into a vehicle on Nov. 12, not far from where Joseph Gatto was killed in his house. Detectives have been cautious to link the suspect to the murder investigation, saying only that he’s a person “they’d like to talk to.” But police continue to search for that man.
Joseph Gatto taught for more than 45 years at a variety of schools and chaired the visual arts department at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. After retiring from education, he pursued his passions for artwork and craftsmanship, making ornate jewelry.
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