Investigators on Friday renewed pleas for information regarding the 2020 shooting deaths of seven foreign nationals working at an illegal marijuana operation in Aguanga.
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco called the probe “extensive and extremely difficult” during a news briefing in downtown Riverside.
“We have followed up on leads and interviewed dozens and dozens of people. We need our community’s help,” he said. “We know there are people out there who have information about these murders. We are pleading with you to do the right thing.”
Sheriff’s Sgt. Jarred Bishop said that since the slayings, detectives have identified three “persons of interest,” all tied to a Laotian gang based in San Diego. He added that a dark-colored SUV has been tied to the mass killing.
“(The gang) is suspected of committing other violent crimes against Laotian individuals,” Bishop said.
He emphasized hurdles homicide investigators have faced include poring over “thousands of pages” of evidence that has often required translation from Laotian to English.
“We know individuals have information about the murders,” the sergeant said.
Both he and Bianco characterized the Laotian community in the United States as compact and tight-knit. They relied on a deputy from Laos to translate their remarks to be better reach those who might know what happened.
“They all know about their community and what happens,” the sheriff said. “There are people who know who did this, or who may be involved. We need them to come forward.”
Anyone with information about the murders was asked to contact detectives at 951-233-5531, or 951-955-2777
Two men and five women, all believed to be undocumented immigrants, were gunned down on the night of Sept. 7, 2020, at a remote hillside property northeast of San Diego County.
The illegal outdoor operation contained over 1,000 pounds of processed marijuana valued between $1 million and $5 million, according to Bianco.
He said at least 20 people had been residing at the location.
“There were a lot of people in that (residence),” Bianco told reporters. “They all fled, and the gunshots started ringing out. As horrible as losing the seven is, there could have been a lot more.”
He said the property was targeted between midnight and 2 a.m., and the culprits were only interested in “getting in and out to steal money.”
One of the seven victims survived long enough to be transported to a regional trauma center that morning, according to Bianco, but the woman was unable to provide a statement to deputies before she succumbed to her wounds.
Though some doubts remain regarding the accuracy of several victims’ identities, the coroner’s office ultimately identified the male victims as Khamphour Nanthavongdovane, 53, and Vikham Silimanotham, 64. The women were identified as Phone Chankhamany, 54, Khamtoune Silimanotham, 59, Souphanh Pienthiene, 48, Thongpath Luangkoth, 47, and Samantha Sourignasak, 44.
Bianco suggested some of the people working at the site were trafficked labor, possibly forced to work off debts stemming from gaining entry into the country. However, he also said a few were likely compensated to cultivate the cannabis.
The sheriff said the brutality of the attack can probably be attributed to “the Laotian gang sending a message.”
They did not want to leave behind witnesses, he said.
Bianco acknowledged that people with information may be “very reluctant to come forward … because they believe law enforcement is not going to help them, and they’re afraid of retribution.”
In 2020, there were nearly a dozen deadly attacks at illegal indoor and outdoor grow sites countywide, including the one along Highway 371. Bianco said targeted operations by the sheriff’s department and cooperating agencies since that time have resulted in a “graveyard of marijuana grows,” abandoned due to enforcement campaigns and county regulations.
The state broadly legalized recreational marijuana sales in January 2018. But the illicit market continued, partly because hefty legal marijuana taxes sent consumers looking for better deals.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
