Five individuals have been arrested in connection with the grim discovery of six bodies in a desolate Southern California desert last week.
On January 23, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department deputies responded to a request for a wellness check around the remote area off Highway 395 - which is outside the community of El Mirage - at around 8:15PM, as reported by The Guardian.
Upon arriving at the scene, five bodies were located - with a sixth body found by investigators during an overnight search - sheriff's spokesperson Mara Rodriguez disclosed, according to USA Today.
It has now been reported that the victims were found shot and killed in what authorities believe to be a dispute linked to marijuana.
During a news conference on Monday (January 29), investigators disclosed further details about the case.
As reported by Fox News, the suspects have been identified as Toniel Baez-Duarte, 34; Mateo Baez-Duarte, 24; Jose Nicolas Hernandez-Sarabia, 33; Jose Gregorio Hernandez-Sarabia, 34; and 26-year-old Jose Manuel Burgos Parra.
The arrests occurred nearly a week after the tragic incident, which unfolded along a remote stretch of highway in El Mirage, approximately 50 miles northeast of Los Angeles.
Police were alerted to the disturbing scene after a caller, speaking in Spanish, dialed 911 on the evening of January 23, reporting that he had been shot but was uncertain of his location. San Bernardino County Sheriff's Sgt. Michael Warrick revealed that dispatchers used latitude and longitude coordinates to trace the call to a secluded area near Adelanto. Due to the remoteness of the location, the sheriff's department enlisted the assistance of the California Highway Patrol, who deployed an airship to aid in the search.
Warrick recounted: "Once overhead the area, officers discovered a crime scene and what appeared to be multiple gunshot wound victims, two vehicles, and one of the vehicles."
Upon reaching the crime scene, authorities encountered the grisly sight of the six victims and two vehicles, a Dodge Caravan and a Chevy Trailblazer. One of the vehicles exhibited evidence of multiple gunshot impacts.
Tragically, four of the victims were found dead with severe burns, while a fifth male was discovered lifeless inside the Trailblazer, and a sixth male lay nearby, having sustained gunshot wounds. The sixth victim was located the following morning. All six victims had been fatally shot, with four subjected to postmortem burning at the scene, according to San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus.
"It looks like illicit marijuana was the driving force behind these murders," Dicus asserted.
Authorities have determined that there are no additional suspects associated with the homicides. The five detained men are currently being held without bail.
During the Monday evening press conference, three of the victims were identified: Baldomar Mondragon Albaron, 34; Franklin Noel Bonilla, 22; and 25-year-old Kevin Darial Bonilla. The identity of the fourth victim has been ascertained, but investigators are taking steps to notify the next of kin before disclosing the name.
Some of the victims may be Honduran citizens, authorities disclosed.
Warrick indicated that Franklin Bonilla is believed to be the individual who placed the initial 911 call.
Sheriff Dicus criticized Proposition 64, which legalized non-medical cannabis use for individuals aged 21 and over and reduced penalties for marijuana-related offenses.
"The reality of this is, by allowing that we've unleashed a plague that is the black market of marijuana and cartel activity and a number of victims," Dicus lamented.
