ATLANTIC BEACH, Fla. – Family members are mourning the death of a man stabbed to death Monday morning at an Atlantic Beach home.
They identified him as 43-year-old Israel Gonzales.
“Just so loving and funny and honest,” said Dena Patterson, Gonzales' cousin. “And just he would tell you how it was.”
The fatal stabbing happened at Gonzales’ home on Redfin Drive. As of Thursday, no one had been charged in the case.
News4Jax on Thursday obtained the calls for service to Gonzales’ home this year. Records show the Monday morning incident was originally coded by police as a robbery with injury. But that was for the initial call; police have not detailed the motive for the stabbing. According to records, police were also called to the home in September for some sort of follow-up call, and there was an unspecified disturbance that drew police in July. There was also one other call for police service in January, records. show.
Family members of Gonzales have been stunned by his death and told News4Jax they don’t have any information beyond what’s publicly been released.
“We just want to know what happened and what’s going on,” Patterson said. "We all don’t really know anything more than the average person in the public knows.”
News4Jax on Thursday stopped by Gonzales’ home, and his wife answered the door. She declined to make any sort of statement at this time. Patterson said Gonzales also has an adult son.
Patterson said Gonzales grew up in the area and has a lot of family in the area. She said he had only lived in the current Atlantic Beach home for the last year or two.
“They had just moved in a year or so ago. I texted Israel and I went onto Facebook and saw his son posted, ‘I’m going to miss you, dad.’ And that’s when we put the pieces together,” Patterson said. “We’re all really sad and bewildered.”
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office’s Homicide Unit has taken over the investigation for the Atlantic Beach Police Department.