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SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (KABC) — Authorities have identified the final victims whose bodies were two of six found in the middle of a remote dirt crossroads in the Mojave Desert last month.
Adrian Ochoa-Salgado, 41, and Narcisco Sandoval, 47, were identified Friday.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department asked for the public’s assistance in identifying the victims Thursday, releasing a sketch of one of them and photos of his tattoos.
“We would like to thank the public for their assistance in our efforts to identify Mr. Ochoa-Salgado,” read a statement from the department.
NOTE: The video above is a previous report.
The other four victims were identified Baldemar Mondragon-Albarran, 34, of Adelanto; Franklin Noel Bonilla, 22, of Hesperia; Kevin Dariel Bonilla, 25, of Hesperia, and Jose Ruelas-Calderon, 45, of El Mirage. Calderon left behind eight children in Mexico, according to GoFundMe.
Authorities discovered the bodies Jan. 23 just outside El Mirage after someone called 911 and said in Spanish that he had been shot, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Sgt. Michael Warrick said.
All the victims were likely shot to death, and four of the bodies had been partially burned together, Warrick said. A fifth victim was found inside a Chevy Trailblazer, and the sixth was discovered nearby the following day, he said. Investigators believe the shooting stemmed from a possible dispute over marijuana.
San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus said that the bodies were found in an area known for black market cannabis about 50 miles northeast of Los Angeles.
Five suspects were arrested, and each face multiple charges, including six felony counts of murder. All pleaded not guilty last week and were held without bail.
Dicus said in 2023, his department served 411 search warrants for illegal marijuana grow sites countywide and recovered $370 million. Deputies found 655,000 plants and 74,000 pounds of processed marijuana and 14 labs producing honey oil, a potent cannabis concentrate. Eleven search warrants were served directly in the desert area where the slayings occurred, he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.