SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Five suspects have been arrested in connection to the six bodies found in a remote area of the Southern California desert last week, authorities said Monday.
Authorities believe a marijuana dispute may have led to the killings, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said during a press conference late Monday afternoon. The six bodies were discovered last week in the Mojave Desert near El Mirage, California, an unincorporated community about 50 miles northeast of Los Angeles County.
Deputies were requested to respond to “an area off Highway 395 in El Mirage” for a wellness check on Tuesday night. Upon arrival, Sgt. Michael Warrick said officers found a crime scene with several gunshot wound victims and two vehicles, including one vehicle with multiple gunshot strikes.
Four of the victims had also sustained severe burns while a fifth victim was located in one of the vehicles, according to Warrick. The sixth victim was found a “short distance away” with a gunshot wound, he added.