MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF: Spencer Irwin
Spencer Irwin was just 30 years old when he vanished one Sunday morning in July 2024. Days later, his body was found that raised questions — naked, alone and quickly dismissed by authorities. But their assumptions about Spencer were wrong. As his mother began asking questions, the answers she received only raised more red flags: no autopsy, missing belongings and a timeline full of gaps no one seemed interested in filling. When toxicology results came back, they didn’t just complicate the story, they began to unravel it.
Refusing to accept a conclusion that didn’t add up, Spencer’s mother launched her own investigation. What she uncovered was deeply unsettling. As new witnesses came forward and experts weighed in, one thing became clear — the case may have been written off too soon. The truth is buried somewhere, waiting to be uncovered.
Spencer Irwin
Courtesy: Kelly Irwin
Spencer Irwin
Source: Facebook
Spencer Irwin
Courtesy: Kelly Irwin
Spencer and his mother, Kelly
Courtesy: Kelly Irwin
Spencer and his mother, Kelly
Courtesy: Kelly Irwin
Spencer and his girlfriend, Cayt
Courtesy: Kelly Irwin
Spencer leaving his apartment to go to the Verizon store
Courtesy: Kelly Irwin
The loading dock where Spencer is found
Source: Fresno County Sheriff’s Office
The “angel marks” in the dust at the loading dock
Source: Fresno County Sheriff’s Office
The “angel marks” in the dust at the loading dock
Source: Fresno County Sheriff’s Office
The underwear that Kelly found at the loading dock
Courtesy: Kelly Irwin
Surveillance footage of the Kia Soul leaving the loading dock
Courtesy: Kelly Irwin
A person walking around the loading dock after the Kia Soul leaves
Courtesy: Kelly Irwin
The Facebook Marketplace listing that Tyler made for a laptop
Courtesy: Kelly Irwin
Timeline:
Kelly notices changes in Spencer’s behavior and believes he may have relapsed with alcohol.
Spencer is hospitalized after a fall while intoxicated and requires stitches.
Spencer enters a detox program, where he meets Angel Gonzalez.
Spencer goes to the hospital with withdrawal symptoms and plans to enter rehab July 29.
Spencer walks about 4 miles to a Verizon store, but it is closed. He returns home.
Around 8 a.m.
Spencer leaves his apartment with a backpack, heading toward the Verizon store.
He is never confirmed to have arrived and is not seen or heard from afterwards.
10 p.m.
Surveillance footage captures a white Kia Soul entering a loading dock area, turning off its lights, then leaving. Shortly after, an unknown person is seen walking alone near the front of the building.
Kelly requests a welfare check.
The landlord finds Angel Gonzalez inside Spencer’s apartment, claiming Spencer is in rehab.
Spencer is found nude at a loading dock behind a waste company storage area.
Fresno police inform Kelly that Spencer’s death is believed to be a drug overdose. His body is released to a funeral home without an autopsy and is later cremated.
Toxicology results return negative, and the coroner rules Spencer’s manner of death as “natural.”
Spencer’s Apartment
The location where Spencer lived and was last seen leaving on July 28.
Verizon Store
The location where Spencer intended to fix his phone but did not arrive.
Loading Dock
The location where Spencer’s body was found behind a building.
Fresno City College
The location where Spencer was enrolled in classes while participating in the HOPE program.
Additional Info:
Contact Us With Tips
If you have any information regarding the mysterious death of Spencer Irwin, you can contact the Fresno Police Department directly at 559-621-7000 or anonymously through Valley Crime Stoppers by texting ‘VALLEY’ to 738477.
We’d love to speak with you and see how we can support.
If you’re a law enforcement agency or family member of one of the people we mentioned in this episode, or if you’re looking for more coverage on a case, please reach out. You can email us at:
Episode Source Material
- Original reporting by Taylor Day
- Fresno Police Department. Incident Report No. 2408010988-1. 1 Aug. 2024. FOIA release, 29 Dec. 2025. PDF file.
- Fresno Police Department. Calls for Service (redacted). FOIA release, 25 Feb. 2026. Microsoft Excel file.
- Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, Coroner. Medical Examiner Photographs of Spencer Irwin. 1 Aug. 2024. FOIA release, 18 Mar. 2026. Digital images.
- Alasmari, Ahmed, et al. “Challenges and Insights: Methamphetamine Analysis in Post-Mortem Putrefied Human Tissues in a Hot Climate.” Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal, vol. 32, no. 3, 2024, article 101990. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsps.2024.101990.
- Kennedy, Michael. “Interpreting Postmortem Drug Analysis and Redistribution in Determining Cause of Death: A Review.” Pathology and Laboratory Medicine International, vol. 7, 2015, pp. 55–62. Dove Medical Press, https://doi.org/10.2147/PLMI.S65245. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.
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