Four years ago, a massive murder case took place at an illegal marijuana cultivation site in a small town in Southern California. On January 3rd, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office announced that they had identified three suspects in the case along with their motives, and urged the public to help solve the case.
On September 7, 2020, seven victims were shot dead at an illegal marijuana cultivation site in Aguanga. Authorities believe it was a home invasion robbery. Investigators stated that the perpetrators may have been there to rob cash, as over 1,000 marijuana plants and hundreds of pounds of processed marijuana were found at the scene after the incident.
Six victims died at the scene, while another woman passed away in the hospital.
Law enforcement has yet to confirm the identities of all the victims and have been unable to reach multiple victims’ next of kin in Laos or the United States. They are asking the public to provide any information regarding the victims’ identities.
The Sheriff’s Office is investigating at least three suspects and believes the massacre involved members of a Laotian gang from the San Diego area. These three suspects stayed at the scene for at least 15 minutes and are also suspects in other violent crimes against Laotian individuals in Riverside and San Diego counties.
“We need the community’s help,” Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco stated at a press conference on the 3rd, “We know that there are people out there with more information about these murders and the suspects. We implore you to make the right decision for the victims and their families, to protect our community from further harm by these criminals.”
Chief Investigator Jarred Bishop of the Sheriff’s Office’s Homicide Unit mentioned that officers did not find any cash at the crime scene (located in a remote rural area in an unincorporated part of town), leading investigators to believe it was a robbery.
Authorities also mentioned that there are multiple survivors in connection to the case. The property consisted of a rundown two-bedroom house and a mobile home where over 20 people were living.
Bianco stated that they have identified several individuals believed to be involved in the case, as well as potential witnesses. He highlighted the challenge of the case being related to crimes against illegal immigrants, particularly victims of human trafficking, as investigators believe such crimes are present in this case.
Investigators have gathered tens of thousands of pages of digital evidence related to the case from various sources, including phone records and social media logs. A significant portion of the records were in Laotian, which required extensive translation work. Nevertheless, technical investigators have identified several records and phone numbers they believe are relevant to the investigation.
Throughout the investigation, investigators followed up on hundreds of leads and interviewed dozens of relevant individuals. After reviewing several surveillance videos near the murder scene, they identified a dark-colored midsize SUV leaving the area. They linked a similar SUV to a person of interest but found that the vehicle had been destroyed in a collision shortly after the murders and could not be processed as evidence.
Bianco emphasized their understanding of the hesitancy of illegal immigrants to assist law enforcement, stating, “However, you must help us so that we can help you.”
Police are asking anyone with information to call (951) 955-2777 to report, send an email to [email protected], or submit information through the online tip hotline.