Body of woman missing for more than a year found in California desert. A suspect has been arrested
The search for a woman who went missing more than a year ago has come to an end after detectives found her body in the desert in Needles, Calif., officials announced Tuesday.
Detectives with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department believe they've also identified the person responsible for her disappearance after a year-long search that included eight different search operations, the help of about 100 volunteers, and overcoming witnesses who refused to cooperate with investigators, officials said.
Tyna Castillo, 42, was reported missing Feb. 3, 2024, after friends said they had not heard from her since December 2023.
A mother of two, Castillo grew up in Rosemead but would later move to Arizona, according to a GoFundMe campaign launched by her family.
"She was creative, artsy, a great cook, and had a deep love for music," the online fundraiser reads. "More than anything, Tyna had a remarkable ability to connect with others."
But Castillo went missing shortly after she traveled to Needles, Calif., to visit a man, according to a poster distributed online during her disappearance.
Messages to Castillo from friends went unanswered, prompting Colorado River Station deputies and investigators with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department to begin an initial search for her with no results.
During the investigation, detectives received a tip that Castillo may have been killed at a home in Needles, but officials said they received little cooperation from witnesses.
"The case went cold, and Castillo was not located," according to a statement from the sheriff's department.
Read more: Man charged in cold case murder, sexual assaults could have more victims, police say
Then in September 2024, the department's Cold Case Homicide Team took over the case, and investigators reached out to several new possible witnesses. The information gathered from the witnesses prompted officials to conduct eight search operations using the department's search and rescue teams, search dogs, the San Bernardino County Public Works and about 100 volunteers.
On March 5, officials said Castillo's body was found in an open desert area near the Colorado River in Needles. Evidence indicated she had been shot, according to a statement from the San Bernardino Sheriff's Department.
Detectives identified Jared Winer as a suspect, according to the statement. On May 6, Winer was arrested and taken into custody by Bullhead City police officers in Arizona on unrelated charges.
Winer is set to be extradited to California on a warrant for murder, San Bernardino County sheriff officials said in the statement.
Authorities offered no details on how the two met up, or what may have led up to the fatal shooting.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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