San Bernardino County sheriff's investigators are asking for the public's help in identifying a man who was fatally shot along with five other people last month in a remote part of the Mojave Desert in what authorities believe was a dispute over illegal marijuana.
The Sheriff's Department on Thursday released what they hope are recognizable images of the man's face, scars across his body and a tattoo on the left side of his chest.
The six bodies were discovered on January 23 around 8 p.m. in the community of El Mirage in the unincorporated area of Adelanto after one of the victims called 911 to report that he had been shot, but did not know where exactly he was. .
Some of the men suffered severe burns and all were fatally shot, investigators said.
All but one of the victims have been identified.
Investigators describe the unknown man as Latino, between 30 and 60 years old, who is 5 feet 5 inches tall, weighs 142 pounds and has medium-length curly black hair and brown eyes, according to a news release.
The man has a large surgical scar on the inside of his right forearm that extends to his upper arm, investigators said. He also has a large linear scar on the outside of his right arm that extends from the elbow to the forearm and a surgical plate inside the same arm. Additionally, there is an irregularly shaped scar on the front of the left forearm and elbow area and a linear scar on the right thigh, according to the news release.
The man also has a tattoo on the left side of his chest that says “Gio” or “Gia,” authorities said.
The other victims were identified as Baldemar Mondragón-Albarrán, 34 years old; Franklin Noel Bonilla, 22; Kevin Dariel Bonilla, 25 years old; José Ruelas-Calderón, 45; and a fifth man whose family has not yet been contacted, according to investigators.
The identified victims were Latino, possibly Honduran. They lived in Adelanto and Hesperia, authorities said.
Five men were arrested on January 28 in connection with the murders and charged with murder. Investigators arrested Toniel Báez-Duarte, 34; Mateo Báez-Duarte, 24; José Nicolás Hernández-Sarabia, 33; José Gregorio Hernández-Sarabia, 34; and José Manuel Burgos Parra. 26.
