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Friday, May 1, 2020

San Jose, California Man Missing and $10,000 Ransom Demanded

Yaqui for Borderland Beat from: RdHdBkBt
             San Jose man employed in Covelo, California's marijuana industry missing since 4/20

Thank you: Matt LaFever !
Victor Medina, a 30-year-old man from San Jose, California, was working on a marijuana grow in Covelo. He video-chatted with his family on the night of April 20, 2020. The following day Medina’s friend and fellow plantation worker Benjamin Chavez Reynoso arrived in San Jose, California dropping off a vehicle to Medina’s wife. Curious as to where her husband was, Medina’s wife inquired about his location, and Reynoso said, “He’s on his way. He was driving behind me.”

Medina never came home that night and the following day a police officer arrived at Medina’s San Jose home to inform his wife that his truck had been found smoldering on a rural road outside Hollister, California. The missing man’s family’s concerns mounted when, on the morning of Wednesday, April 29, they were contacted by Spanish-speaking men demanding a $10,000 ransom for their loved one.


Benjamin Chavez Reynoso, the man believed to have knowledge of Victor Medina's last known movements, and Victor at a fitness center. Photograph provided by Victor's nephew Enrique Esparza

Maria Naranjo, Medina’s sister, described her brother and Reynoso as friends who worked together in a marijuana field in Northern California. She said the pair had regularly traveled between San Jose and Covelo since February of this year. On these trips, Medina would take both of his vehicles (a blue Nissan Titan and a white Nissan Pathfinder) and Reynoso would drive one and they would caravan together.

Medina told his family a disturbing story about “a worker dying in a greenhouse due to gas exposure” at the beginning of April. Medina sometimes expressed concerns for his safety telling Naranjo, “There are men with guns up here and they drink a lot.” During the last contact with Medina on the evening of April 20, Naranjo said, “Victor seemed tipsy and there were loud voices and laughter in the background”.

Benjamin Chavez Reynosa
Naranjo and the rest of Medina’s family believe Benjamin Chavez Reynoso might have “information about what happened to Victor.” Enrique Esparza, Medina’s nephew, said, “Ever since Benjamin dropped off the blue truck, his number has been changed and no one, not even his family, has been able to get ahold of him.” 

Esparza explained that Reynoso cohabitated with Medina and his wife at their San Jose home. The day he dropped off Medina’s blue Nissan Titan, he “went inside and grabbed all his belongings” from the Medina home, and has not been seen or heard from since.

On Saturday, April 25th, Medina’s family traveled to Hollister to investigate the site where the white Nissan Pathfinder was found burned on the roadside. Esparza said, “The police had already picked up the truck and there were pieces of the vehicle on the ground.” Esparza described the family searching the area for any signs of  “Victor or his body but we didn’t find anything.”

On April 29, Esparza said that Victor’s wife got a call for a ransom for $10,000 from a Spanish-speaking man. The caller threatened to “kill Victor” if the ransom was not paid in full, Esparza explained. Esparza said Victor’s wife demanded a picture of her husband to confirm the caller had him and the caller responded, “It’s my way or the highway.” Victor’s wife contacted law enforcement and told them of threatening phone calls, Esparza added.

San Jose Police Department’s Public Information Officer provided the following statement about their investigation into Medina’s disappearance: “On Friday, April 24, 2020, at about 7:24 PM, San Jose police officers met with someone at the San Jose Police Department to report Victor Medina as a missing person. 

Medina was last seen on Monday, April 20, 2020, at about 10:26 PM, during a video phone conversation. His last known location was in Covelo, California.” He added, “This is an ongoing investigation and no other details are available at this time.”

Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Greg Van Patten confirmed Medina worked in Covelo as a “worker at a marijuana/cannabis operation.” Van Patten described MCSO’s role in the search for Medina as providing “investigative assistance in this case over the last few days at the request of San Jose PD. 

Van Patten said MCSO’s investigations determined that “[Medina] supposedly left Covelo within the last couple of weeks to return to the Bay Area before being reported as missing.”


Victor Medina’s date of birth is 10/15/1990. He is Latino, 5’7’’, and weighs 170lbs. He has black hair, brown eyes. Distinguishable features include a tattoo on his right arm that says “Shark City” and a tattoo on his left that says “SJ”. His sister Maria Naranjo said the last clothes he was known to be wearing were “blue jeans, a light blue shirt with a white fox logo, black Nike shoes, and a gray hat with the red letter ‘C’.”

The San Jose Police department requests that “anyone with information is asked to call 911. Persons wishing to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at 408-947-7867.”


                                          Typical outdoor grow scene, Covelo, California

52 comments:

  1. This one is a big mystery, involvement Marijuana grow, the good thing is detectives investigate better, than in Mexico. This one should make it to 48hrs.

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    Replies
    1. A big mystery?? Really?? Stfu is mexico!!! Wtf is so mysterious about this? He worked in a marijuana grow!! What the hell you think happened idiot?

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    2. “El pichon” well said man ! Well said ! You hit it on the head ! Lol

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    3. 8:16 this did not happened in Mexico, it said northern California, wake before they call you names too moron.

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    4. Its No mystery, don't be so naive. He worked at a cartel grow in Cali. He ended up drinking with these dudes and one of them probably killed him. And now is probably to get money out of these people so he won't go back empty handed to Mexico

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  2. I'm betting that CNN won't be showcasing this story?

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    Replies
    1. The hypocrites consider it “taboo”

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    2. CNN is only concerned with making up lies about Trump. They don't do news anymore

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  3. Really sad but could be expected. I wonder how many other people are disappeared in the usa that we never hear of?

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    Replies
    1. That is really sad bro.

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    2. there is a netflix show about this very thing called murder mountain

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_Mountain_(TV_series)

      Delete
  4. It took a while, but the Devil's Taxes will be due and paid.
    Pinchis mariguanos are nothing but bad news sooner or later.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Those guys asking for ransom think they are in Mexico? this shows the lack of intelligence wait for the reward goes higher then the ransom then someone will flip then again why 10k? did he owe money? It’s obvious the friend Orchestrated this...

    H”

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  6. This is not good at all.... Maybe you would see this in southern TX, or AZ but Northern California???

    Inside job.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Happens a lot more than you think up in Northern California. You should watch this documentary on Netflix called murder mountain.
      Has a lot to do with the weed farm scene and how law less some of those areas are. I know a couple of people that trimmed bud out there and they have ran into some super shady people. Not much law enforcement up there deep in the mountains.

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    2. Happens ALOT more than you think.
      yep, Murder Mtn pretty close to reality,
      This has the signs of Cartel written all over it........
      Cali has La EME, the Nortenos, Surenos and Hollister is a real red flag.
      Dumping ground for years by gang rival and drug related murders.
      Read: Operation Black Widow 10 Years Uncover w LEOs or something to that effect. RICO run out of US DOJ SF centered on gang related drug dealing based in Santa Rosa , Ca.
      It is kinda old now, but I got it from the library......very informative, educational.

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  7. How ironic is it to be missing since 4/20

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    Replies
    1. That's nothing, what's really ironic, Lou Gehrig died of Lou Gehrig disease. #mindblown

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  8. Replies
    1. Yes, and No one else is carrying it, not even the San Jose Mercury News, hmmmmm.
      Bad news: Rumored to be two more men missing.
      Keeping mis ojos peeled.

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  9. This happens all the time in northern California aka emerald triangle. Watch murder mountain in neflix scary shit.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I used to live up there everything is basically controlled by redneck mafia I remember telling this white guy that another white guy ripped me off he asked me to give him his name in said That If he rips somebody off again he'll go missing

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    2. Yeah that’s a good documentary.
      People disappear out in those mountains all the time. Who knows what the reasons are it’s mainly young people too.

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  10. Ransom in US? Could have been a Nigerian prince.

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  11. His friend killed him for all the cash they made from selling a big batch before 420 and did the ransom call to try and cover his tracks

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    Replies
    1. Your on to something. I could see that.

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  12. The cartels forget america isnt mexico. Theyll lock your ass in prison so long youll want to take your own life in U.S.

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  13. Everyday thing in Northern California.

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  14. Ah yes Netflix. The Ultimate source and destination for all things narco related...

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  15. Kidnapping for ransom in California? If they get caught only 6 months in jail or community service.... because Governor Newsom says that ALL criminals are poor little innocent souls. In Texas that’s DEATH or Life w/ out parole.

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    Replies
    1. He or they are still fucked pendejo .
      Good luck applying at McDonald’s or anywhere with a kidnapping charge on your record.

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    2. Obviously you know nothing about California. Kidnapping can be a life sentence, it all depends on the crime. The 3 strike law is BS, just a money making scheme for white America.

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    3. 9:06 Mr. Lawyer kidnapping is a felony requires more time in jail, 2ng guessing the governor is a dumb move.
      Pass the bar exam first.

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    4. 9:06 your one funny guy...death penalty in Texas for kidnapping, boy you really have to go to law school. Wait wait your going to say for running a red light you get 20 years in jail 😂.

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    5. 9:59 driving while black or brown is a capital offense in some places.
      You may even be shot to death from the US in Mexico without any driving whatsoever and the supreme court of the US supports the opinions, denies punishments on the basis of race because nobody can prove intent in the heart of the killers...

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    6. Im no lawyer, but in California you can get away with a lot of shit. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if the sentence was light. Oh yeah and fuck you Newsom

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    7. Omg mfker thinks he knows the laws in California and Texas.

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    8. 336 eres un pendejo, doesn’t matter where you are
      In the us certain crimes will always carry long sentences

      Delete
  16. @3:52

    Yes, Northern California
    I have a friend that lives in Laytonville which is directly east on highway 101. It is no joke,those folks are nuts, there have been several homicides on my buddies dirt road alone. He rented his land for a grow to some Mexicans a few years back... The deal went bad, they took off with all the weed, he did not get paid, Guns got drawn, thank god nothing happened. I told him not to get into an arrangement in the first place.

    Maybe that guy was one if them.





    Those

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Laytonville, always been a real hot spot too.
      Covelo, in Round Valley, has such a black history since forever.
      In the 1850's ALL the remaining indigenous peoples were herded into the Res there to sort it out for themselves. One of Northern Ca's uglier histories. still plenty of tensions there, then you throw alcohol, marijuana grows, meth, guns yahoos, rednecks and outsiders into the mix.

      Delete
  17. All that for 10k damm. It be your own people.
    Jealous mugrosos.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. not Jealous and more then 10 grand
      we can look at it another way ""my southern buddy""
      Mexicans wanted to take over up there And these old hippys and bikers aint gonna put up with that

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    2. 6:49 Yeah I could see that being the case as well. It’s happened before. I live here in Southern California and I’ve herd of stuff happening like this up in Fallbrook during the 80s and 90s.

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  18. The difference between kidnapping in Mexico and the US is in the US it gets heavily investigated usually by the FBI. That grow will have feds all over it, after it gets shut down over this the operators will probably kill the rouge kidnappers family in Mexico

    The feds will analyze all cell phone data that was ever close to the grow or the victim. Stupid move, this isn't Mexico.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hopefully there was good enough cell phone reception out there in the mountians so they look into all that data.

      I agree they are going to investigate this for sure but if they run into a dead end or his "friend" fled to mexico or elsewhere it's going to be a difficult one to solve.

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    2. Us Marshall’s will go to Mexico to him him down need be it won’t be the first time and it definitely won’t be the last.

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  19. Probably selling black market and didn't pay piso

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  20. Covelo is hella sketchy if your working with someone you don't even know they will rob or worse

    ReplyDelete
  21. "Shark city" tattoo, i feel bad for his family but him not do much.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Spent Alot of time in Covelo. Wild wild West for real. Very little cartel presence tho. Mostly whites & Indians

    ReplyDelete

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