El Mirage, California – Five individuals were taken into custody in connection with a brutal multiple homicide in a secluded area of the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County. According to authorities, six men were shot to death, with four of them also suffering severe burns as a result of the incident that took place on Tuesday. The bodies were found scattered across the desert landscape.
Investigators suspect that the violent altercation stemmed from a disagreement over marijuana, and they are also looking into potential ties to cartel activity. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department carried out search warrants in Apple Valley, Adelanto, and the Piñon Hills area of Los Angeles County, leading to the apprehension of the five suspects in the slayings, which occurred in the community of El Mirage.
Sheriff Shannon Dicus stated that strong leads were crucial in initiating the investigation, with dispatchers receiving a distress call on Tuesday evening. The caller, speaking in Spanish, reported being shot but was unable to provide his exact location before the call ended. The coordinates of the call were traced to an area near Lessing Avenue and Shadow Mountain Road, off U.S. Highway 395, where law enforcement officers discovered the crime scene. Deputies from the sheriff’s Victor Valley station found four dead men with severe burns, one deceased man in a vehicle, and a sixth deceased victim nearby.
The victims, believed to be Honduran nationals, were identified as Baldemar Mondragon-Albarran, Franklin Noel Bonilla, and Kevin Dariel Bonilla. The fifth victim is yet to be identified. Warrick revealed that Franklin Bonilla was the one who made the 911 call for help. All the victims sustained fatal gunshot injuries, with four of them also being burned by the suspects at the scene.
One of the concerning aspects of this case is the possible connection to cartel activity. Although the authorities are being cautious in their statements, there are indications of extreme violence that raise questions about the involvement of organized crime in the slayings. The suspects have been arrested on suspicion of murder and are being held without bail, pending a review of the case by the San Bernardino County district attorney’s office.
The illicit marijuana trade in the area has been cited as a contributing factor to the violence, according to Sheriff Dicus. He emphasized the role of the black market and cartel activity in fueling such criminal incidents, reflecting the complexities and challenges law enforcement faces in addressing these issues. The investigation is ongoing, with detectives recovering firearms and conducting forensic examinations to determine their involvement in the slayings.