Updating: Homicide reported at Morongo Valley mobile home park, suspect arrested

The Sheriff’s Department is investigating a reported homicide at a mobile home park in Morongo Valley.

On Wednesday morning at around 3:15 a.m., San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the Roadrunner Mobile Home Park at 51063 Twentynine Palms Hwy. The Sheriff’s Department said that they were initially called to respond to an unknown problem, and that when deputies arrived, they found one person dead. 

A witness told Z107.7 that one resident of the mobile home park was killed and one person was severely injured from stab wounds. The witness said that deputies searched through the mobile home park for a suspect, and that residents were asked to remain in their homes until after 10:00 a.m. 

The witness said that a suspect was eventually taken into custody, but the Sheriff’s Department did not confirm that any arrests were made.

We will continue to update this story as more details become available.

UPDATED at 5:00 p.m.:

The Sheriff’s Department issued a press release identifying the suspect as Rocky Duarte, a 41 year-old resident of the mobile home park.

The Sheriff’s Department said that the female victim awoke to find Duarte in her home, and that Duarte stabbed the male victim before stabbing the female victim. The male victim, a not-yet-identified 58 year-old, was pronounced dead at the scene. The female victim, 59 years old, was found by deputies with visible lacerations to the left side of her face, neck and left shoulder area. She was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Duarte was found several hours later in his residence at the mobile home park and taken into custody.

Rocky Duarte was arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder and is being held at the West Valley Detention Center without bail.