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Thursday, January 25, 2024

6 Found Dead After Possible Shootout in California Mojave Desert

 "Socalj" for Borderland Beat


Six people have been found dead in a remote Mojave Desert area near the San Bernardino County community of El Mirage, California prompting a homicide investigation, authorities said. News footage showed two abandoned vehicles, one with shattered windows and evidence of gunshots sitting on the dirt road intersection with several visible bodies including some appearing to have been burned.

While Sheriff's investigators have not yet disclosed their identities, possible suspects, or more official information; the desert area has been known for hiding patches of large-scale illegal marijuana grows.




At around 8:15 PM Tuesday night, Sheriff's deputies responded to a request for a wellness check leading to Lessing Ave. and Shadow Mountain Road, an intersection of long dirt roads near US Highway 395 in unincorporated El Mirage, California. San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Mara Rodriguez stated. El Mirage is located about 50 miles northeast of Los Angeles.




The bodies were found off of US Highway 395 at an intersection in the high desert area, about 20 miles west of Victorville, with the closest towns being Adelanto and Helendale. The Shadow Mountain ghost town is about three miles further west of the crime scene.

Officials initially said five bodies were found, but a sixth was discovered during their investigation of the surrounding area Wednesday morning, Rodriguez said at a news conference.

The bodies had gunshot wounds, FOX 11 reported. Three of them appeared to have been burned, according to ABC7. Their identities were not released by officials as of Thursday.


Desolate Crime Scene

Highway 395 is a long stretch from the high desert of Southern California, into the Eastern Sierras, Northern Nevada, and to Canada. The Old 395 trail stretches down towards San Diego.

One dirt road exit off the highway is Shadow Mountain Road, where about 3 miles out the bodies were discovered. It is often used as a shortcut between nearby Helendale and Lancaster in Los Angeles County. Avoiding traveling further south on 395.




TV crews arriving at the scene Tuesday night reported seeing two vehicles, one a blue Chevrolet Trailblazer. The SUV has both rear doors open with shattered glass and the rear hatch window was also blown out. The driver and passenger windows show evidence of several bullet holes.


A body lays next to the open rear door with at least one more being removed from the area by the coroner. Three of the bodies had been piled on each other and burned. A body, wrapped in a red covering is also seen.


Nearby, a silver minivan is also seen, no bullet holes or damage are visible but at least one body was in front of the van. Later, Sheriff's tow trucks began to remove the vehicles from the crime scene.




News footage showed several yellow evidence markers near the dirt crossroads near the vehicles and the dead bodies were blurred out. A few blue markers can also be seen nearby. The markers could be the locations of ballistic evidence, spent bullet casings, blood, belongings, and other possible evidence A set of markers appears to be alongside fresh tire tracks, possibly from the suspect's vehicle.


Debris such as cardboard, rubber tires, and broken bottles littered the area near Lessing Avenue and Shadow Mountain Road, where authorities taped off the scene. It is not known yet if any of the trash is related to the deaths. Yellow tape blocked access from the nearest paved road.

Possible Scenarios

Initially, authorities discovered 5 bodies. An additional, lone body was found hundreds of yards away from the initial crime scene after the sun came up. This raises the possibility that the person survived the initial attack long enough to attempt to escape. According to the Sheriff's Department, deputies arrived in the area 15 minutes after the call was reported. It is possible, given the time frame and remote area that the final victim was able to call 911 and provide his location or was tracked to the area.

But, the Sheriff's department stated deputies were responding to a call requesting a 'wellness check' in the area. It is possible that the killers made the call themselves so that the bodies would be discovered.

Gloria Huerta, a public information officer with the Sheriff’s Department, said additional information may be shared in the coming days after the coroner takes the bodies. Huerta said she couldn’t confirm or deny whether the bodies had been burned. 


"This is a very remote desert area, and for that reason, the CHP aviation division accompanied us to the call and was able to help us in locating the scene and the decedents. Upon arriving we located multiple decedents at the scene, and investigators with our Specialized Investigation Division responded to assume the investigation. As the investigation continued, early this morning a 6th decedent was located at the scene so we have a total of 6 at this point. We have not confirmed the sex or the age of any of the decedents at this point so that information will come out as we continue the investigation as well as the cause and manner of death, so I’m not able to confirm that at this time. […] As soon as we have that information we’ll make sure to put that out to you, you can look for a press release to accompany this, it will most likely be later this evening or tomorrow sometime.”

Decca Miller, who works at Wild Desert Tours a few miles east of the 395, said there is only one home and several trails in the area of the slayings. She said the few people who live in the vicinity are aware of the crime but don’t remember seeing the 6 people that day. The closest home, a ranch that includes several motocross training tracks does not appear to have any of the illegal grow sites that other properties in the area have. The property has been listed for sale for the past two years.

A family, possibly recognizing one of the vehicles on the news, came to the crime scene in the morning and spoke to authorities.

During an interview with KTLA5, retired FBI agent Bobby Chacon stated that given the number of people, the gun violence, and charred bodies, the killings could be gang or cartel-related.


Nearby Marijuana Grows

The dirt road intersection is surrounded for miles by a flat, empty desert landscape. Aside from a couple random homes, the closest towns are around 20 miles away. Looking at the area from Google Earth, not much else can be seen, however, several miles to the south, near a recreational offroad spot called Rancho Rosas a few locations with large growing canopies can be seen. Even closer, several seemingly abandoned and destroyed illegal grow sites can be seen.




A few locations show nearly a dozen of the large greenhouse tents, surrounded by dirt berms or blackout fencing; commonly seen at illegal growing sites as opposed to legitimate agricultural farms. One of the larger cities in the area to the southeast is Adelanto, which has its own history in the marijuana industry, on both sides of the law.


Adelanto was home to the most prisons per capita, with several state and federal prisoners numbering 10% of the city's 34,000 population. A large immigration detention center is also operated in the city. The city has embraced legal pot cultivation allowing for city permits for legitimately licensed growers and retailers.

But, many of these permits were the result of bribery, with the former Mayor of Adelanto pleading guilty to federal charges in 2023. From 2015 to 2018, he had accepted at least $57,000 in bribes and kickbacks to allow permits to 'skate through the system.'

The area has been home to several large black market operations as well including one discovered after a large fire broke out at a commercial facility being used as an illegal grow house, resulting in two arrests. 

In 2022, a shooting was reported at another illegal grow property with authorities finding 29 casings at the scene. The person who called 911 told deputies that the suspects were in 3 separate vehicles when they pulled up in front of the property and started shooting at the home. Someone inside the home fired roughly 35 rounds, Sheriff's officials said.

Nearby Lancaster and other desert areas in Los Angeles County have seen record seizures of black market marijuana in recent years, including over 16 tons of plants and processed marijuana during a large Los Angeles County Sheriff bust on illegal grows in the Antelope Valley area.

The street value of the seized plants was estimated at $1.19 billion. The operation included over 400 personnel from various agencies serving 200 search warrants over several days. Authorities also seized 65 vehicles, including two water trucks, and $28,000 in cash, and made 131 arrests.


Several years ago, around 120 miles south in the desert outside of Anza-Temecula, 7 people were found murdered in the dwellings of a large illegal marijuana grow farm and processing area. There were hundreds of plants, a makeshift greenhouse, a lab for using butane to extract THC concentrate, and more than 1,000 pounds of processed marijuana. Many of the large illegal grow operation's victims were of Laotian descent or immigrants.

In 2021, Riverside County Sheriffs seized over 2 tons of plants and marijuana across 8 properties in the Anza area during a coordinated operation.

76 comments:

  1. Dude who staggered off to die hundreds of yards away straight out of No Country For Old Men movie..
    🦎

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    Replies
    1. That colossal goatfuck in the desert.

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    2. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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    3. 7:04 you’d do the same half way crook

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    4. 704 not everyone can stop bullets with his bare hands like sicario006.

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    5. 9:34 nah. I wouldn't do the same.

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    6. 9:34 Don't have the balls to be in the game then don't be in it.

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    7. El miedo no anda en burro.
      Find out what that means.

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    8. @704 that statement alone shows the punk you are never seen a pistol in ur face much less shot at why we still letting these clowns speak they nonsense @sol

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    9. 8:47 I posted 7:04. I live in Juarez, El Paso. I've been shot at an have seen people dying. Not involved in shit but just another day in paradise here. You wouldn't understand.
      People in Cali just think they big.

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  2. I'm sure the Sinaloa fangirls will say the dead are from Jalisco.
    😂

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    1. Jaliscos can’t handle the rough work up here,
      It’s mostly Michoacanos working the lands in the HD

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    2. 🤣😭😹 LoL.

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    3. Why can’t y’all just read a something without trying to throw shade to an organization lmao. Puro alucin

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    4. At 1045 am that's a negative chief neither jaliscos or michoacanos are the majority working in tne dessert .. it is actually the GuAts chapines that get recruited

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  3. Those areas are known for having people that do side drug jobs. Not sure if they work with known cartels or just independent but some do own their own businesses just to cover there side jobs.

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  4. The famous desierto puro greenhouse over there. Wonder if it was a deal gone bad or somebody owed mula. Perfect area for business

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  5. ORALE THESE PLACES ALWAYS HAD STRANGE SHIT I NEVER FEEL TOO SAFE AROUND THE MOJAVE. THIS WENT DOWN LIKE NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN STRAIGHT OUTTA THE SCRIPT VATO MY GUESS. MAYBE SOME OTHER GROWERS WERE BEING SAPOS. THAT SHIT IS GOING ON TOO MUCH EVEN THE LEGAL GROWS ARE CALLING POLICE ON ILLEGAL ONES. BUNCHA JOTOS SOMEBODY GOT TO PUT THIS WEED GAME BACK ON LOCK EVERYBODY AND THEIR MAMA AND NEWPHEW AND THEIR BABY GETTING IT

    $$$PLAYAMADECHOLO$$$

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  6. Has to be Mexican vs Mexican Mickey mouse cartels- wannabes…….Real big players from Mexico drug trafficking circles know this is career suicde on USA soil-

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    1. Or it could be gangs? Gangs don’t give af. Even RICO couldn’t stop them

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    2. Cartels have been doing it in the US since the 80s and it has not been suicide. It's business as usual.

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    3. WHOA: they should send someone in the SGV to do a wellness check all on Garvey through to the Regal Edwards . You people always walking into town from the desert with no shirt no socks, just the puffy jacket and jeans..

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    4. Probably asains again they have more grows than mexicans

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  7. These grow operations have been getting hit by theives like crazy and because a lot of the operations are illegal they go unreported to law enforcement. This may be the result of California's relaxed prosecution approach. People are becoming so frustrated with the lack of government intervention that they are taking extreme measures to protect their bread and butter.

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    Replies
    1. https://www.borderlandbeat.com/2023/08/marijuana-rip-crews-becoming-more.html?m=1

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    2. https://www.borderlandbeat.com/2023/11/a-father-and-son-shot-dismembered-and.html?m=1

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  8. I wonder if the Mexican Mafia has thier hands in any of this illegal stuff. I know San Bernardino is full of Latino street gangs loyal to LA M. If these guys stole from them maybe the green light went out on them. Possible theory. What do you guys think?

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  9. Eme probably eleminating cartels, or business partners. But burning the bodies seems like a message, “don’t fuck with me” or “this is payback” but who knows.

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    1. I don't remember the article saying their bodies were burnt🤔.
      I remember they were shot up.

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    2. According to news footage (blurred out) three of the bodies were burned/charred.

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    3. is it cds burners ? holla

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  10. This is probably the single best coverage of this that will be written, unless someone does like a 10,00 word piece after the trial or whatever.

    the initial facts suggest set up/drug rip. Two cars, remote location. Both cars are good for the area. No one is walking out of there after, so there is probably another car belonging to the suspects. Unless everyone was killed except the one victim.

    Two smaller SUV's, nondescript, 3 in each car. If one got away, it likely means they didn't methodically execute the people one by one, it was quick and dirty. Or check to make sure they were dead.

    Lots of action out on grow areas, up north and in the desert.

    Since this isn't TJ, no rivals are going to be meeting up to shoot it out, so it had to be someone whom they knew, or had motivation to meet in a remote location, money or drugs. Lots of disputes between workers and owners end in violence on grow sites.

    if it isn't directly tied to the grow sites/marijuana, whats the closest city San Bernadino? Sometimes one body may get dropped out in the desert, but not 6. Whatever happened, it was there. Tried to burn the bodies maybe suggests by the evidence.

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    1. Thanks, trying to show the possibilities and what is currently known. The closest large city would be Victorville.

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    2. You can’t get to call Gary with 2 Pennie’s

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  11. Welfare check about 8:00 last night, someone knew about the meeting and was concerned, probably stopped answering. This will get solved quick, it's someone known to the victims and whoever made that call.

    The suspects for sure didn't call it in. Lost their nerves or had technical difficulties with the burning, they didn't finish it, and had one get away. Shooting into the car suggests the ambush part, as they weren't all out of the car, talking or whatever. The other car may have rolled up and just started shooting.

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    1. 12:26 you are correct. This was most likely a meeting between two groups of criminals for an illegal transaction involving a lot of drugs and a lot of money. One of the groups had it planned to rob the other group. For these type of meetings it has to be out in the middle of nowhere. Just like Walter White and Jesse. Haven't you guys seen Breaking Bad? One of the victims told a family member about this meeting and gave the location.

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    2. @12:41 - exactly. Sounds like an episode of Breaking Bad. Imagine those Mexican twin assasins with the skulls on their boots showing up.

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    3. they already do their own body counts J

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  12. I mean those turfs are known for having Mexican and whites people living there but I’ve known sketchy white people with accents that from a mile away you can tell those dudes are into big cash deals. So don’t point your fingers at just Mexicans there’s more than Mexican cartels in those turfs.

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  13. Bro wtf. I’ve been there to ride my bikes, never thought they had weed plantations. I know that desert is huge but every time I go everything seems calm and people having fun.

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    1. Your blind as a bat, they do exist, there was even an article about it in BB, marijuana grows, they even say Asians run some of the plantations.

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    2. Dam I didn’t know that. Thanks for the info.

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    3. @1:53pm True...Asians are everywhere...don't be fooled when 12 hop off a tour bus in the desert towns with cameras taking pics cuz it's their 'cover'.

      Canadian girl 💋

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    4. Canadian girl.....man the Panjabi Cartel, wants all parts of Canada, what up with that, they should stay in India and worship the cows.

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    5. Canada girl be racist yo
      ~Malo Hmongo

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  14. also, you always have to account for meth in these kinds of things. Not so much large meth deals, but a lot of these cases the killers/suspects and victims are using meth.

    tweaker logic is is like "lets just kill 6 people in the highest profile crime in the are in 100 years. They won't catch us. We will burn the bodies and do it in the desert"

    remember the one from 2021 or 2020, with the killing of a small child, everyone said CARTEL, it was just methed out low level gangsters.

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    Replies
    1. “say what” : ru saying
      they r lazy
      or wott

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  15. Pausing the video, and assuming and confirming that the little yellow tags are for shell casings, (not the ones on the right in cluster I don't think) you can get a sense of part of the attack

    From the right side where the bullet holes in the front windows.

    Shooters shot from behind the Trailblazer, and from both sides, but mostly from the back, knocking out the back window

    Two victims or more exited the back the doors are open, (or they were opened post killing or post discovery) and were killed there, maybe?

    shell casings around the burned bodies, so they were killed there, not in the car possibly.

    could the two cars have arrived like a half an hour before, one ambush, and then another?

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  16. You are all WRONG!

    Everyone knows CDS owns ALL of California . Obviously the dead are Hmongs or Mexican gangs not aware that California already has an owner.

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    1. LMAO 😂 😂 calmado Sicario006

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    2. Closest thing to owning California is the Mexican mafia in the drug trade

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    3. Eme controla todo. Who you think takes care of chapo, mochomo and all them, they PAY eme do r their protection. No seas tonto

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    4. 13 RUNS ALL CALIFAS? PAYASO HOODS AINT DA THE SAME SINCE THE MID 2000S EME NEVER HAD CONTROL OVER EVERYTHANG

      $$$PLAYAMADECHOLO$$$

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  17. Dicen que soy bajador, pero yo no bajo droga, yo bajo algo más valioso.

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    Replies
    1. Te bajas las trusas y entregas el fundillo?

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    2. 846 is cryin for a holla

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  18. At one time the High desert was the meth capital of U.S , then the Mexican super labs changed the game

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  19. La eme can kiss my butt, they cant control everything in California. I don't understand why MEXICANS KILL MEXICANS Sol your the machine.

    Rubio NYC

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    Replies
    1. That’s why you’re being a keyboard warrior behind a screen. That’s how you feel then go say it to their face.

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    2. Rubio Puerto Rican, your town also has lots of crime. Puerto Ricans killing Puerto Ricans.

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    3. 9:55
      Your quick to jump the gun, from using internet, at the basement of the Bodega. But afraid to jog around the park or even go out.

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    4. @9:55 Jan 25
      It's Human beings killing valnerble innocent human beings. Ethnicity does not matter.

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    5. 654 Don Rubio is Dominicano. He's tight with Trinitarios so callete la boca.

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    6. To me Dominicans and Puerto Ricans are the same...they talk fast, that they are misunderstood.

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    7. Rubio don't entice hatered, the eme can reach out to New York and have it's partners teach you a lesson.

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  20. Been out there riding and sometimes see shiny objects in the sky like coming down for landing. Possible others out there conducting experiments

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  21. You ain’t lying

    ReplyDelete

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