DANBURY — A Danbury church leader who works as a taxi driver has been found dead over the state line in New York in what police are calling a suspected homicide.

Putnam County police confirmed those fears Monday evening and announced that Zhunio-Orbez’s death is now being investigated as a homicide.

“Our detectives are working tirelessly to determine what happened, identify the perpetrator, and deliver justice for Mr. Zhunio-Orbez and his family,” police said in a release. 

Investigators believe Zhunio-Orbez was killed, then had his taxi cab — a black Toyota Sienna — stolen, according to police. The car was later found abandoned.

“If you saw this vehicle or anything unusual, please contact us right away,” police said.

The 66-year-old’s son, Henry Zhunio, said Monday morning in a brief phone interview that they had suspected there might be a connection between his father’s disappearance and the weekend discovery of a body in Putnam County, “but we don’t know.” He didn’t return a call later in the day.

Zhunio-Orbez’s boss Juan Quezada Orbe, of Orbe’s Taxi in Brewster, N.Y., said he, too, was concerned about his employee when he went missing earlier this month.

He said Zhunio-Orbez disappeared Dec. 1, when he picked up a passenger at the local train station. Zhunio-Orbez didn’t return and didn’t pick up his phone, Orbe said.

It’s not unusual for Zhunio-Orbez to miss one or two calls, he said, but Orbe began to get concerned by the second or third time he tried to contact him and couldn’t reach him.

“I call him about 1 something. And he didn’t pick up the phone at all. I called him about 4 o’clock again. I send a text…then I call him at 5, 6,” Orbe said.

A few days later, his car was found at another location, Orbe said. He got a call from a New York state trooper, but the trooper didn’t give him any information. 

“Until two days later, we didn’t know if he left the train station,” he said, adding that his taxi cabs don’t have tracking devices. 

According to a Saturday Facebook post by Danbury police, Zhunio-Orbez last was seen about 11:30 a.m. Dec. 1 at the Brewster train station. 

Zhunio-Orbez is a longtime member and leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Danbury, where he has served for decades.

“We extend our sincere condolences to the family and ask the community to keep them in their thoughts,” Danbury police spokesperson Erin Henry said in a brief statement Monday.

Zhunio-Orbez leaves behind a wife and four children, according to Orbe.

Staff Writer Mike Gagne contributed to this report.