5 arrested after 6 men were found fatally shot and burned in remote California desert

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (TCD) -- Five men were arrested on suspicion of murder less than a week after six men were shot and killed in a remote desert area during an alleged drug-related interaction that turned deadly.

According to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, on Tuesday, Jan. 23, at 8:16 p.m., one of the victims, 22-year-old Franklin Noel Bonilla, called 911 to report he had been shot. He could not provide dispatchers with his exact location, but officials determined the call had been made from near Lessing Avenue and Shadow Mountain Road.

In an initial press conference, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department Public Information Officer Mara Rodriguez said the California Highway Patrol’s Aviation Division accompanied deputies to the call due to the fact that it was such a "remote desert area."

Deputies arrived at the scene and found 34-year-old Baldemar Mondragon-Albarran, 25-year-old Kevin Bonilla, a 45-year-old Hispanic male whose name has not been released pending next of kin notification, and two other adult Hispanic males who have not been identified yet all deceased from gunshot wounds. They later located Franklin Bonilla, the caller, nearby.

The sheriff’s department said in addition to the gunshot wounds, four of the victims had been partially burned.

On Sunday, Jan. 28, detectives arrested 34-year-old Toniel Baez-Duarte, 24-year-old Mateo Baez-Duarte, 33-year-old Jose Nicolas Hernandez-Sarabia, 34-year-old Jose Gregorio Hernandez-Sarabia, and 26-year-old Jose Manuel Burgos Parra for murder. The sheriff’s department said the six victims "arranged to meet at the location for a marijuana transaction." The reason for the shootings remains under investigation.

Detectives reportedly seized multiple firearms and additional evidence.

Sgt. Michael Warrick spoke at a press conference Monday, Jan. 29, and said deputies located a Dodge Caravan and Chevrolet Trailblazer at the scene. One of the vehicles had multiple gunshot strikes in it. Warrick said one of the victims was found deceased inside the Trailblazer.

Warrick is "confident" that all suspects have been arrested, but he could not comment on if the crime was cartel-related.

Sheriff Shannon Dicus said the area where the shootings occurred is known for drug activity. In the last year alone, the department’s Marijuana Enforcement Team executed 411 search warrants for illegal grow operations and seized 655,000 marijuana plants, 74,000 pounds of processed weed, and $370 million.

The suspects are all being held without bail.

MORE:

• UPDATE: Investigators Arrest Five Suspects in the Homicide of Six Men in the Rural Desert Area Outside of Adelanto - San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department
• Press Conference – Multiple Arrests Made in Connection with El Mirage Killings - San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office
• 6 people found dead in remote part of California desert, 1/25/2024 - TCD
• 6 people found dead in remote Mojave Desert area in San Bernardino County - KABC-TV