A dead body found by an off-roader in Landers in June has been identified, and a suspect in his murder has been arrested.
On June 25, an off-roader found human remains while riding near Old Woman Springs Road in Landers, and flagged down a Sheriff’s Deputy from the Morongo Basin Station. The remains were believed to be related to a murder/robbery that occurred earlier in the day in Apple Valley, and the victim of that crime was believed to have been transported to Landers and left in the open desert.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Homicide Detail identified a suspect in the murder as Everardo Lopez-Vega, a 29 year-old resident of Hesperia. On Monday (December 4), he was detained by U.S. Border Patrol Agents in in Arizona on and is expected to be extradited to San Bernardino County on suspicion of murder.
The Sheriff’s Department identified the victim as Omar Lopez-Barraza, 30-year-old resident of Apple Valley.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact Detective Eric Ogaz, Specialized Investigations Division at (909) 890-4904.
