El Mirage bodies: 5 arrested, charged for deaths of 6 people in remote San Bernardino County desert
EL MIRAGE, Calif. - Five people have been arrested in connection with the mysterious deaths of six people whose bodies were found in a remote part of the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County, deputies announced Monday. Deputies said the killings were related to a "dispute over marijuana."
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: 6th body found in remote part of San Bernardino County desert
Toniel Baez-Duarte, 34, of Apple Valley, Mateo Baez-Duarte, 24, of Apple Valley, Jose Nicolas Hernandez-Sarabia, 33, of Adelanto, Jose Gregorio Hernandez-Sarabia, 34 of Adelanto and Jose Manuel Burgos Parra, 26, of Adelanto, were arrested Sunday, deputies announced.
Toniel Baez-Duarte, Mateo Baez-Duarte, Jose Nicolas Hernandez-Sarabia, Jose Gregorio Hernandez-Sarabia and Jose Manuel Burgos Parra.
Their arrests come nearly a week after the bodies of the six unidentified victims were discovered off Highway 395 in the small desert community of El Mirage, located about 50 miles northeast of Los Angeles and about 20 miles northwest of Victorville. The area is so remote that the sheriff’s department called in help from the California Highway Patrol’s Aviation Division to find the scene.
The San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office announced charges on Tuesday, which included six felony counts of murder for each of the suspects.
"This mass murder, done in a dark secluded desert, clearly illuminates the violence and crime that exists as a direct consequence of illegal marijuana operations," said San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson. "I commend the Sheriff’s investigative team for their rapid and thorough hard work and send my condolences to the families of the victims."
San Bernardino Sheriff's Sergeant Michael Warrick said that deputies got a 911 call around 8:15 p.m. on Jan. 23, from a man saying he'd been shot, but didn't know where he was. Then, the call ended. Law enforcement tracked the phone using latitude and longitude coordinates, which eventually helped them find the scene.
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That's where the bodies of the six people were found. While all six had suffered gunshot wounds, Warrick said, four of the victims had also been severely burned. One of the other victims was found shot inside one of the cars on the scene, the sixth was found shot to death a short distance away.
Four of the six victims have been identified, including Baldemar Mondragon-Albarran, 34, of Adelanto, Franklin Noel Bonilla, 22, of Hesperia and Kevin Dariel Bonilla, 25, of Hesperia. Warrick said they believed Franklin Bonilla was the one who'd called 911.
Deputies said all five suspects were being held without bail while the District Attorney reviews the case for potential charges.
San Bernarino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus said that these murders were part of a trend in the area regarding illegal marijuana grows, saying that the area is "known for illicit marijuana."
While Dicus said that "for all intents and purposes, it looks like illicit marijuana was the guiding force behind these murders," Warrick said that at this point in the investigation, the department can't comment on any potential cartel connections.
All defendants are being held in custody with no bail, according to authorities.