El Mirage, California – Five individuals have been apprehended following a horrifying multiple homicide in a secluded area of the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County. Authorities reported that six men were fatally shot, with four of them also suffering severe burns in Tuesday’s incident. The motive behind the brutal act is believed to be a dispute over marijuana, leading investigators to explore potential connections to cartel activity. The five suspects were identified as Toniel Baez-Duarte, Mateo Baez-Duarte, Jose Nicolas Hernandez-Sarabia, Jose Gregorio Hernandez-Sarabia, and Jose Manuel Burgos Parra.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department conducted search warrants in Apple Valley, Adelanto, and the Los Angeles County area of Piñon Hills, ultimately leading to the apprehension of the suspects involved in the slayings. The incident took place in the community of El Mirage, where authorities discovered the bodies of the victims scattered across the desert landscape. When asked about the investigation, San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus emphasized the significance of the leads received during the initial stages of the operation.
The tragic event came to light when a 911 call was made on Tuesday evening, leading dispatchers to an area near Lessing Avenue and Shadow Mountain Road, just off U.S. Highway 395. Deputies arriving at the scene uncovered a crime scene with multiple shooting victims and two vehicles, one of which was riddled with bullet holes. The desolate area surrounding the crime scene, located approximately 50 miles northeast of Los Angeles, was found littered with debris.
The identified victims, who were of Latino descent, were residents of Adelanto and Hesperia. Investigators revealed that all victims had sustained fatal gunshot injuries, with four of the men believed to have been burned by the suspects at the location. Additionally, detectives recovered eight firearms during the execution of the search warrants, which will undergo further examination to determine if they were used in the slayings.
During a news conference, Sheriff Dicus pointed to the black market of marijuana and cartel activity as contributing factors to the violence in the area. Authorities have since arrested the five suspects on suspicion of murder and are currently being held without bail while the case undergoes review by the San Bernardino County district attorney’s office.