Baby Among Six Killed in Central California Home. Sheriff Says It Was Cartel-Related

"HEARST" and "SoCalJ" for Borderland Beat 

A 10-month-old infant, a young mother, and an elderly woman were among the 6 people killed in a central California residence yesterday. 

The sheriff told the press that he believes the attack was cartel-related. 

The Attack

At approximately 3:35 am on the night of January 17, 2023, residents of a Harvest Avenue home spotted two unknown male intruders sneaking onto their property on surveillance camera feeds.

Evidence found on scene suggests that the intruders either kicked or pushed in the door of the main residence and, then, quickly shot a man near the doorway. The intruders continued further inside and shot two men and an elderly woman. 

The elderly woman was later found deceased in her bed and Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux told reporters that, “it appeared she was shot in her sleep.” 

While this attack was occurring, two women hid inside a trailer home next to the main residence and dialed 911 for help. The emergency line phone call came in at about 3:38am, according to the Los Angeles Times.

A 17-year-old mother appears to have tried to run away from the main residence, clutching her baby to her chest, however, one of the intruders caught up with her outside. [It was later confirmed by the Sheriff that the teenager was actually 16.]

The mother and the 6-month-old infant were later found dead, lying in a ditch. Both mother and child had gunshot wounds to the head. The intruders then fled the area. [It was later confirmed by the Sheriff that the infant was actually 10 months old.]

One of the women told the 911 operator that “a male, Larry, shot her boyfriend,” and that “she believes somebody may be inside the house. She’s scared.” 

Other 911 calls from neighbors started coming in reporting the sound of gunshots. The report was initially filed as an active shooter situation due to the amount of gunfire heard.

Officers arrived on scene and found the mother and child dead in the street. They then searched the home and found the 4 victims inside. A deputy requested 6 ambulances from the dispatcher. 

Only one, a male, was ultimately found to still have vital signs. He was given CPR and rushed to the hospital, but he was pronounced dead soon after being admitted. 

Initially, authorities did not release the names or ages of all the victims, but said it appeared some were family members.

The two women who hid inside the trailer managed to survive the attack and give further details. They say that “by the time they [the intruders] came on to [the video feed], it was too late to do anything.”

Authorities are currently searching for two suspects for the attack. Although the intruders primarily focused on one residence, the Los Angeles Times says that the attack occurred “in and around three neighboring residences.” 

The “manner and swiftness” of the murders suggested experienced killers, Sheriff Boudreaux said, “If they are specifically shooting everyone in the head, they know what they are doing... they are comfortable with what they are doing.”

He continued, “I think it’s specifically connected to the cartel. The level of violence … this was not your run-of-the-mill low-end gang member.”

Video Source: Los Angeles Times

The Locational Context 

The attack occurred within Goshen, a town near Visalia, which is located in central California, in the United States. Goshen lies north of the city of Los Angeles and south of the city of Fresno, which is only about a half hour drive away. 

The 99 Freeway runs through the town and many articles note that Tulare County, which Goshen lies in, plays an “outsized” role in the smuggling of drug shipments coming from Mexico up as they head to distribution points farther north in the US.

Goshen is an agricultural town. In 2020, the population of Tulare County was estimated to be about 470,000 and it often hosts groups of migratory farm workers. Goshen, however, is only estimated to have about 5,000 residents. 

According to the Los Angeles Times, “the area has been home to the production of meth and the cultivation of marijuana, both legal and illegal.” 

Law enforcement authorities have not disclosed the exact location of the home where the attack occurred; however, ABC30 has quoted the Tulare County Sheriff's Office as saying it occurred “on Harvest Avenue between Road 68 and Kame Drive.” The Times of San Diego specifies that the house was on the “6800s block” of Harvest Avenue. 

There are only four properties in the area described and only two of these are technically in the “6800s block” of Harvest Avenue. These two are the houses #6834 and #6844. 

When this area is looked at on Google Earth, it becomes clear that many residences on this block and the blocks nearby are being used for… let's say some suspicious agricultural endeavors. Or, to put it more plainly, some houses may allegedly be functioning as illegal marijuana grow houses.   

How do we know these grows are illegal?

The current law in California states that each residence is allowed a maximum of 6 plants and anything over 6 plants requires a cannabis cultivation license with the state, permits from the local area and must take place in specifically zoned areas, none of which are in residential areas.

The Gangs in California

Tulare County sits at the border of the geographic dividing lines between Southern California and Central California. 

This geographic line also largely dictates the dividing lines of rival Hispanic gangs in the state. In southern California, Mexican gangs fall under the Sureño umbrella, which is controlled by the Mexican Mafia prison gang. 

The Mexican Mafia, sometimes called La eMe, have long had ties to Mexican drug cartels.

Meanwhile, the northern part of the state aligns under the Norteños flag and the gangs are controlled by Nuestra Familia, an offshoot and fierce enemy of the Mexican Mafia.

Central California often acts as a battleground area in the war between these two groups. The traditional territory cut-off line was believed to be Bakersfield, with any area above Bakersfield (such as Goshen and Visalia) falling into Norteño territory. 

That being said, cut-off lines are often fluid and there are currently pockets of Sureños within Visalia and Goshen. 

Additionally, Fresno, which is just half an hour away from Goshen, has its own independent Hispanic gang,  the Fresno Bulldogs, which fights against both Sureños and Norteños.

The Fresno Bulldogs are the largest independent gang in the state of California, with their membership estimated to be between 12,000 - 40,000. The gang has adopted the local university's colors and mascot as their own. Bulldog members are known for barking at possible rivals in public.

Much like their counterparts, their main source of income stems from street-level drug sales, including substances like marijuana, heroin and methamphetamine.

The Raid The Week Before

One of the homes that was hit by the attack was raided by law enforcement the week prior. The search warrant was conducted by a narcotics unit of the sheriff’s department and it resulted in one arrest and the seizure of guns, marijuana and methamphetamine.

The man who was arrested in that raid may be one of the three deceased male victims. The Los Angeles Times wrote that “DNA testing will be required to identify at least one of the men because of damage done to his face by the gun or guns used.” 

This speaks to one of the possible motives behind the crime. 

It is possible that after the property was raided, the man arrested was presented with a deal. The man may have been told that he could face less criminal charges if he agreed to give over information on a higher-up who owns/organizes the grow house.

If he had agreed to this deal, the higher-up may have gotten word of this betrayal and sent two hitmen to murder the family as retaliation. 

This is just one potential, non-law enforcement theory of the case among many others.

Sources: Los Angeles Times, ABC News, NBC Los Angeles, Times of San Diego, Daily Mail, Your Central Valley, ABC30, Visalia Times Delta

Update

1/17/2023 11:00pm CST 

At 1:00PM (PST), Sheriff Boudreaux gave an official press conference to provide additional information and correct earlier statements.

The primary corrections were to that of the ages of teenage mother, Alissa Perrez, who was actually 16 years old; and her son, who was 10 months old. 

She had been running from the scene when she and her baby were shot and killed. Her killer stood over her when delivering a final gunshot to her head. 

The teen was from northern California and had been living with her father's side of the family in Goshen for the last year. Her uncle, her cousin, her grandmother, and infant son were those killed. Jennifer Analla was the girlfriend of one of the surviving victims. 

The sheriff of Tulare County, detailed the names of the 6 people who were killed. 

• 72-year-old Rosa Parraz
• 52-year-old Eladio Parraz Jr.
• 50-year-old Jennifer Analla
• 19-year-old Marcos Parraz
• 16-year-old Alissa Parraz
• 10-month-old Nycholas Parraz

Three victims survived the attack and their names have not been released. 

The Prior Search

Two weeks prior, on January 3, 2023, Tulare County Sheriffs conducted a parole compliance check on 52-year-old Eladio Parraz, who had a prior felony. 

The parole compliance check visited him at the 6800s Harvest Avenue residence. His house was known to police for its history of gang activity. 

During the parole visit, the deputies observed shell casings on the floor. Deputies later requested a search warrant based on the shell casings, which was approved by a judge.  Authorities carried out the search and found numerous weapons and illicit substances, which included marijuana and methamphetamine. 

Eladio Parraz was charged for being a felon in possession of ammunition and firearms, as well as possessing a controlled substance. He was subsequently taken to jail. Four days later, on January 7, Eladio posted bail and returned home. 

Some have speculated that Eladio was the target of the attack because gang members saw he was out of jail and they assumed he had traded information. However, the Sheriff stated that they do not believe that Eladio was the initial intended target.

It is possible that one of the men who survived the attack was the primary target of the killings, and they don't want to release that information yet.

The sheriff has walked back earlier statements he made about the killings being cartel-related, stating that the massacre was gang-related based on what they know and due to the manner of the executions it could be cartel-related, or it could be a combination of both. 

A $10,000 reward has been offered for any information on the deadly shootings. But according to the Sheriff's Department, that reward will soon increase. 

The ATF, DEA, FBI, DOJ, HSI, and California Department of Corrections are assisting with the investigation. 

The Sheriff asked for public help, with possible video footage but stated that authorities know 'a lot' about who is behind the killings but is unable to provide some of that information due to the investigation.

Update

1/19/2023 9:00pm CST 

Additional information about the attack in Goshen, California, has emerged. 

It was recently revealed that court documents on Eladio Parraz list him as a Sureños gang member. The specific Tulare County gang was not listed, however, it should be noted that all Sureño gangs are affiliated with the Mexican Mafia (eMe).

It was also revealed that the victims of the attack were spread across three different homes, all located on one property on Harvest Avenue.

This means that the two intruders had to seek out family members in three different houses. This may speak to a certain familiarity the intruders had with the property, especially in light of one of the women seemingly knowing the name of one of the intruders, calling him “Larry” on the 911 call. 

Source: LA Times