A 44-year-old man was arrested in Tennessee this week in connection with the killing of a missing member of a “cult-like” religious group in the Inland Empire, authorities said.

Ramon Ruiz Duran Jr., 44, was captured in Nashville on Jan. 12 and booked into a San Bernardino jail on suspicion of murder and conspiracy to commit murder in connection with the 2023 disappearance and death of Emilio Ghanem, according to a news release issued from the Redlands Police Department. Duran Jr. will appear in a San Bernardino courtroom on Wednesday, records show.

Ghanem was a longtime member of “His Way Spirit Led Assemblies,” a religious group based in Colton and Hemet that has been linked to a number of deaths and disappearances. State and local authorities have arrested five members of the group in total, including its two leaders, in connection with the killings of Ghanem and a 4-year-old boy named Timothy Thomas.

It was not immediately clear if Duran Jr. had legal representation. Authorities did not describe his alleged role in Ghanem’s death.

Ghanem joined the religious group more than two decades ago and helped launch a pest control business overseen by the organization called Fullshield Inc., his sister Jennifer Ghanem previously told The Times. Ghanem left the group in April 2023 and moved back to Nashville, where he started his own pest control company, she said.

In May of that year, he returned to the Redlands area to try and network with former clients but was served a cease-and desist letter that accused him of stealing business from the religious group’s pest control company, Ghanem’s sister said. Seventeen days later, he vanished.

Last summer, Redlands police said they found the truck Ghanem was last seen driving and served search warrants on two of the group’s properties, where they recovered ghost guns and automatic rifles.

Shelly Bailey “Kat” Martin, 62, and her husband Darryl Muzic Martin, 58, have been described as the group’s leaders. Shelly Martin and another group member, 43-year-old Rudy Moreno, have also been charged in Ghanem’s death.

The Martins and former group member Andre Thomas, 48, have also been charged with the killing of 4-year-old Timothy Thomas, who was found dead of septic shock caused by a ruptured appendix at one of the group’s properties in Colton in 2010. The boy was in the care of the Martins at the time, police said.

Police believed neglect played a role in the boy’s death, but struggled to get cooperation from members of the religious group due to the extensive control the Martins held over their followers, authorities said.

Several members have since parted ways with the group and revised their statements to police, saying that their original testimony was made under duress from the group’s leaders, according to Colton Police Sgt. Shawn McFarland.

The group also has been named in connection with the 2019 disappearance of member Ruben Moreno in Claremont, according to local police.

The post Fifth person arrested in murders connected to cult-like Inland Empire group appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

A Rancho Cucamonga deputy was conducting an undercover chat operation on Wednesday, in which 42-year-old Daniel Patrick Albert of Redlands responded to a post, the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department reported on Thursday.

“Albert initiated a conversation with the deputy, who acted as the persona of a 13-year-old boy,” the Sheriff’s Department said.

During the communication, investigators say that Albert – under the username “danolanche” – agreed to meet with the undercover persona to engage in sexual acts.

Albert, who worked as a youth hockey coach in the Riverside area, was arrested following the investigation.

He was booked on suspicion of arranging to meet a minor for lewd purposes.

Detectives released Albert’s photo because they believe he may have victims who have not come forward.

Anyone with information or who may have been approached by Albert was encouraged to contact the Rancho Cucamonga Sheriff’s Station at 909-477-2800.

Callers wishing to remain anonymous may call the We-Tip Hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME (27463) or leave information on the We-Tip website.

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On Monday at 3 p.m., a deputy from the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department responded to the 12000 block of Poplar Street in Hesperia when a man called to report that a woman had taken his vehicle while he was visiting her in Adelanto.

While at her home, the man said she demanded his car keys and threatened to “cut or beat him” if he didn’t comply. The suspect then pulled the keys from his belt loop and told him to get into the car, according to a news release from the department.

She then got into the driver’s seat, drove southbound on U.S. Highway 395. During the drive, she told him they were going to Mexico when he saw a large knife in her purse. Fearing for his life, the man fled the vehicle as it came to a stop at the intersection of Highway 395 and Three Flags Road, police said.

The woman, a resident of Adelanto, is an acquaintance of the victim and police said they are “working to positively identify her.”

Anyone with information related to the incident is urged to contact the Hesperia Station at 760-947-1500. Callers wishing to remain anonymous should contact WeTip at 1-800-78-CRIME (27463) or go to wetip.com.

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Nai Ping Hou of Rancho Cucamonga was reported missing by his family on May 4. Little information about the case was released by the sheriff’s department, but the agency stated that it is seeking details about a silver Toyota Yaris, similar to the one depicted in the photograph below, in connection with Hou’s disappearance.

Hou is described as an Asian male, 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighing approximately 170 pounds. He has black hair, black eyes, and a birthmark on his left upper shoulder, according to the sheriff’s department.

An investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Detective Vanayes Quezada of the sheriff’s Specialized Investigations Division at 909-890-4848. Callers can remain anonymous and contact We-Tip at 800-78CRIME or www.wetip.com.

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The incident began shortly after 4 p.m. Sunday in Loma Linda. The cell phone seller, whose name and age were not released, agreed to meet up with a potential buyer after the two connected via Facebook Marketplace.

The meeting was set for the 23000 block of Redlands Blvd.

When the victim arrived, he was approached by 20-year-old Gerardo Hernandez of Jurupa Valley and 21-year-old Manuel Corral of Ontario, according to the sheriff’s department.

Hernandez snatched the cell phone and refused to pay. Corral drew a black handgun and pointed it at the victim, the department reported.

“The victim feared for his life and fled for his safety,” the agency said.

The alleged robbers got into a Honda Civic and took off.

The incident was reported, and a notification was sent to nearby law enforcement agencies regarding the suspect vehicle.

About an hour after the alleged robbery, the Ontario Police Department stopped the Honda Civic.

Inside the car were Hernandez and Corral, along with Ontario resident Fabian Corral, 20, and 21-year-old Reymundo Hernandez of Jurupa Valley. It’s unclear whether the men are related.

“Officers located a loaded black handgun inside the vehicle along with the victim’s cellular telephone,” the sheriff’s department said.

All four suspects were booked into San Bernardino County jail on suspicion of robbery and conspiracy charges, both felonies.

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