Authorities in Riverside County are seeking help to solve the 2020 murders of seven people who were shot at a suspected illegal marijuana growing operation.
The killings occurred Sept. 7, 2020 in the community of Aguanga on the edge of Cleveland National Forest. The seven victims, most of whom were killed in their sleep, were discovered at a residence after what investigators said Friday was likely a home invasion robbery.
More than 1,000 marijuana plants and hundreds of pounds of processed marijuana were found at the Inland Empire property east of Temecula.
There have been no arrests in the case.
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"This investigation has been extensive and extremely difficult,'' Sheriff Chad Bianco said during a news briefing at sheriff's headquarters in downtown Riverside. "We have followed up on leads and interviewed dozens and dozens of people. We need our community's help. We know there are people out there who have information about these murders. We are pleading with you to do the right thing."
At a Friday news conference, the Riverside County sheriff asked anyone with information about the killings to come forward. In addition to revealing robbery as a possible motive, authorities said they've identified a midsize, dark colored SUV used in the crime.
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"Over the past four years, multiple leads have been identified and followed up on by the investigative team," the Riverside County Sheriff's Department said in a statement. "Investigators believe that this was a targeted incident involving gang members of a Laotian descent from the San Diego area."
Three "persons of interest" all tied to the criminal street gang were identified, Sheriff's Sgt. Jarred Bishop said. Investigators have studied thousands of pages of evidence that often required a translator, Bishop said.
The victims were two men and five women residing at a property with at least a dozen other people at a remote hillside property in the 45000 block of Highway 371. The illegal growing site had processed marijuana valued at between $1 million and $5 million, Bianco said.
The location was targeted between midnight and 2 a.m.
"There were a lot of people in that (residence),'' Bianco told reporters. "They all fled, and the gunshots started ringing out. As horrible as losing the seven is, there could have been a lot more."
One of the seven fatally wounded victims survived long enough to be transported to a hospital that morning, Bianco said. She provided a statement to deputies before her death.
Bianco said some of the people working at the site were there as trafficked labor, possibly forced to work off debts stemming from their arranged entry into the country. He also said a few were likely compensated to cultivate the cannabis.
In 2020, there were nearly a dozen deadly attacks at illegal indoor and outdoor grows countywide, including the one along Highway 371. Bianco said targeted operations by the sheriff's department and cooperating agencies since
that time left behind a "graveyard of marijuana grows."'
Anyone with information was asked to contact 951-955-2777 or vmmagana@riversidesheriff.org.
