Coroner: Remains found in Buena Vista Lake are those of missing Santa Ana woman
The human remains found in Buena Vista Lake in July are those of a Santa Ana woman who was reported missing in 2017, the Kern County coroner’s office reported Thursday.
A submerged vehicle was retrieved from the lake on July 12. The human remains located inside the vehicle were identified via DNA as missing person Shirley Mae Cassel, 64, the coroner’s office reported.
Cassel had been reported missing to the Santa Ana Police Department in September 2017. On July 28, 2018, a lower leg/foot was retrieved from the lake. A DNA comparison confirmed that the lower leg/foot was that of Cassel, the coroner’s office said.
The Kern County Sheriff’s Office is investigating.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation sent out a news alert Wednesday night that Elizabeth Sarmiento, 23, escaped from the Community Transitional Reentry Program facility in Bakersfield earlier that evening.
According to CDCR, the facility’s staff was notified at 9:15 p.m. that Sarmiento had left the grounds without authorization. The news release said that agents from CDCR’s Office of Correctional Safety were dispatched to find her.
The news release described Sarmiento as Hispanic, standing 5-foot-4 and weighing 140 pounds. She has brown hair and brown eyes.
CDCR said Sarmiento was in custody on a four-year sentence for assault with a deadly weapon, a second strike offense.
The Community Transitional Reentry Program facility allows eligible offenders to serve their sentence in the community as opposed to state prison, the news release stated.
CDCR said anyone who sees Sarmiento or has knowledge of her whereabouts should call 911.
The Kern County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a suspected homicide that occurred Wednesday night at a business at 144 N. Chester Ave.
According to a KCSO news release, deputies were flagged down at about 9:12 p.m. regarding a man, who was later identified as 53-year-old Wahba Agaiby Wahba, suffering from traumatic injury inside the business. Deputies attempted lifesaving measures, but medical aid that responded to the scene determined the man was dead.
KCSO said an investigation revealed that the man was shot by two suspects who entered the business. They left within seconds, entered a vehicle driven by a third suspect and fled.
Anyone with information is asked to call KCSO 861-3110 or Secret Witness line at 322-4040.
The Kern County coroner’s office identified a 15-year-old victim in a fatal shooting that occurred Monday night in the 700 Block of East 11th Street.
Luis Castillo Jr. was shot at 8:21 p.m. and died just before 9 p.m. at Kern Medical, the coroner said in its report.
The Bakersfield Police Department is investigating the incident as a homicide.
The Kern County coroner’s office identified a woman who was found dead in a vacant field in the 300 block of Daniels Lane on Monday evening.
The body of Marilyn Cuervo, 28, was found at 6:55 p.m., according to the coroner. The nature and time of her death remain unknown, the coroner said in its report.
The Bakersfield Police Department is the investigating agency in the case.
David Moncada Zamora, 48, was identified as the victim in a fatal shooting that occurred the night of Oct. 9 in the 600 block of N Street.
According to a report from the Kern County coroner’s office, the shooting took place just after 10:30 p.m. and Zamora died Monday evening at Kern Medical.
The Bakersfield Police Department is investigating the case as a homicide.
The Kern County coroner’s office has identified a man who died Wednesday when the motorized scooter he was using was struck by a vehicle.
Tim Dale Miller, 63, of Bakersfield, was hit at 9:40 p.m. Tuesday on Roberts Lane east of Central Avenue and died at 5:47 a.m. Wednesday at Kern Medical, the coroner’s office reported.
The California Highway Patrol is investigating.
The Kern County coroner’s office has identified a woman who died in a traffic accident on Monday.
Crystal Nicole Rubio, 24, of Bakersfield, died at 3:25 p.m. Monday in the 3000 block of East Panama Lane when she collided with another vehicle.
Bakersfield Police are investigating the incident.