Santa Clara police: Safeway butcher killed by co-worker

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (KGO) -- Santa Clara Police say a Campbell man found dead at a Santa Clara park was murdered. The body of 54-year-old Raynard Hyde was discovered across the street from the Safeway where he worked. His co-worker is under arrest.

Hyde worked in the meat department at Safeway on Homestead Road. It's across the street from Central Park where Hyde's body was found near the duck pond on Friday.

"There was no obvious sign of trauma in the way of gunshot wounds or a knife sticking out of him, anything like that. But there were things at the scene that our investigators were concerned about," said Capt. Wahid Kazem of the Santa Clara Police Department.

A coroner confirmed their suspicions and on Tuesday, officers arrested Hyde's co-worker, 25-year-old Gage McCartney.

Investigators say they're still working on gathering information so details won't be released until after his arraignment on Friday. Until then, those who knew Hyde will be wondering. The single father of three was an active and beloved member of Cathedral of Faith in San Jose.

"Who would want to hurt him? He's very good man to everybody. He was nice and sweet and very humble," said Nina Ramirez, a member of the church.

Hyde sang at church often. He well known for his powerful voice.

"He had a magnificent vocal talent, able to move people closer to God when he would sing. That's the type of person he was," said Pastor Mike Garcia.

Police say despite McCartney's arrest, they still need the public's help.

"There is a time gap that we're trying to fill so we're asking anybody in the public, if they've seen anything, if they've seen these two individuals, especially in the area of Central Park to please reach out to the Santa Clara Police Department," said Captain Kazem.

To contact the Santa Clara Police Department, call (408) 615-4700, or visit this page.