COACHELLA VALLEY, CA — An investigation into a 16-year-old boy’s slaying remains open after the child was found dead 12 months ago in Coachella.

With a year gone by, investigators are once again asking the public to provide any information that might lead to Joseph Aroz’s killer.

“Extensive investigative efforts have been made over the past year, but the suspect in this incident has not been identified,” the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday.

At about 9:07 p.m. Aug. 20, 2023, Thermal Sheriff’s Station deputies were called to the 53500 block of Cesar Chavez Street. There they found Aroz. He had gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The sheriff’s office has maintained that Aroz was murdered. A possible motive in the case has not been disclosed.

The slaying occurred amid Tropical Storm Hilary, when officials were scrambling to rescue Coachella Valley residents from significant flooding and provide resources to victims whose homes were inundated with mud and water. Many desert roads were closed due to flooding and damage.

In the days following his death, Aroz’s family spoke to local media.

According to a KESQ report, Aroz was gunned down just outside his family’s home. A neighbor heard gunshots, but a suspect was never found.

The boy was one of eight children in his family, the news outlet reported.

A GoFundMe page that was launched to help pay for Aroz’s memorial and funeral expenses includes photos of a boy with short brown hair and brown eyes.

“… he was only 16 years old,” the page reads. “Jojo was loved by all of us, by so many … our world will never be the same.”

Investigators continue to seek answers for the family.

“The Riverside Sheriff’s Office Central Homicide Unit is requesting the public’s assistance in solving this case,” the agency said Tuesday.

Anyone with information who can help identify the individual(s) responsible for Aroz’s killing is asked to contact Investigator D. Brown or Investigator V. Magana at 951-955-2777 or by email. Information can also be submitted through the Sheriff’s Office Online Tip Form.

The post 1 Year After Boy’s Slaying, RivCo Investigators Still Seek His Killer appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

LAKE ELSINORE, CA — On the sixth anniversary of a Menifee man’s slaying in Lake Elsinore, sheriff’s investigators released new information this week and issued a public plea to help find his killers.

Around 3:30 p.m. May 14, 2018, 35-year-old Henry Shannon was shot in the old Walmart parking lot, near Railroad Canyon Road and Grape Street. Wounded, he drove about one mile before crashing off the side of the road near the intersection of Railroad Canyon and Church roads.

When first responders arrived, they treated Shannon at the scene before he was transported to a local hospital. He died that day from the bullet wounds, according to the sheriff’s office.

Over the last six years, investigators have chased several leads but the suspects involved in Shannon’s killing remain unidentified.

On Tuesday, the sheriff’s office released surveillance photos and offered new details about the suspects’ vehicle in the hope that someone might recognize it.

“Witnesses during the night of the shooting advised the suspects fled the area in a dark blue four-door Buick sedan (model year 1997-2003),” according to the sheriff’s office. See the images above of the sedan that was captured on surveillance video.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Sgt. Lance Stoyer with the Riverside Sheriff’s Office Central Homicide Unit at 951-955-2777.

The post Lake Elsinore Cold-Case Killing: Investigators Issue New Plea appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.