5 suspects arrested in California desert killings in dispute over marijuana, sheriff's officials say

Sheriff’s authorities said on Monday that five persons had been taken into custody as part of the investigation into the six deaths that were discovered last week at a lonely dirt crossroads in the Southern California desert during a fight over marijuana.

After someone reported to 911 that they had been shot, authorities found the dead in the Mojave Desert west of El Mirage, according to Sgt. Michael Warrick of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office. Late on Tuesday, five bodies were discovered; early the next morning, a sixth.

According to Warrick during a press conference, five people were taken into custody after deputies executed search warrants on Sunday in the Pinyon Hills neighbourhood of Los Angeles County and the Adelanto and Apple Valley sections of San Bernardino County.

“We are confident that this appears to be a dispute over marijuana,” he said.

Warrick stated that every suspect in the investigation has been taken into custody. The five guys, who were between the ages of 24 and 34, were not granted bail.

According to Warrick, four of the victims’ bodies had been cremated together and all of the victims were probably shot to death. He added that a sixth corpse was located nearby in the desert, and the fifth victim was recovered inside a Chevy Trailblazer.

According to Warrick, four of the fatalities have been identified thus far.

Authorities stated that although the scene displayed a “level of violence” characteristic of drug cartels, investigators were unable to instantly establish cartel involvement.

Overhead footage from TV stations last week showed a dark blue SUV with a passenger window blown out and another door open, with part of the image blurred. The footage also showed numerous yellow evidence markers in the scrubby desert.

The area, some 50 miles (80 km) northeast of Los Angeles, is so remote that the sheriff’s department called in help from the California Highway Patrol’s Aviation Division to find the scene.