A Child's Death, 2 Missing Men Linked To IE Religious Group: Police

REDLANDS, CA — Leaders of a cult-like group in the Inland Empire who were briefly detained last month are being investigated in connection with multiple disappearances and more recently, the death of a toddler about 15 years ago.

In 2010, paramedics in Colton attempted to rescue 4-year-old Timothy Thomas just before he died of septic shock due to a ruptured appendix. Nearly nine years later, 43-year-old Ruben Moreno went missing. In May 2023, Emilio Ghanem, 40, was also reported missing.

All three are connected to the leaders of religious group His Way Spirit Led Assemblies, Shelly Bailey “Kat” Martin, 62, and Darryl Muzic Martin, 57, according to law enforcement.

READ MORE: Hemet Religious Group Investigated After 2 Members Mysteriously Disappear

The husband-and-wife duo were detained in on Aug 14 in Laguna Hills after police recovered ghost guns and other illegal weapons during a search warrant operation. However, Kat was released shortly after, when she experienced a “medical episode,” the Redlands Police Department announced Wednesday. Martin has also since been released and no charges have been filed, he Los Angeles Times reported.

The pair, who call themselves the Profitess and Head Pastor of His Way Spirit Led Assemblies, had temporary custody of Timothy when he died, according to the Colton Police Department.

A 911 call is what brought police to 1521 Latham St. in Colton On Jan. 16 2010, where they found Timothy unresponsive with vomit around his mouth, according to an investigative report from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department’s Coroner Division, cited by the Times. Timothy died within an hour of the 9-1-1 call, Colton police Sgt. Shawn McFarland told the Times.

The Colton Police Department said its detectives are now "reviewing new leads" and actively investigating the circumstances of Timothy's death.

McFarland described the group as "cult-like" in an interview with the newspaper.

In August, police also served search warrants at homes in Hemet and Anza. During those searches, Hemet residents Rudy Franco Moreno, 43, and Kelvin Lee Mackey, 58, were arrested on charges related to being felons in possession of firearms, police said.

Police said that they have made "a number" of arrests in their investigation into the disappearance of Ghanem, a Nashville man who was last seen at a Starbucks in Redlands more than two years ago after he reportedly left the group.

Ghanem is described as white, with hazel eyes and black hair, 5 feet, 7 inches tall, 130 pounds. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to contact the Redlands Police Detective Bureau at 909-551-4424 or by email at missingperson_emilio@redlandspolice.org.

Meanwhile, Ruben Moreno, who was 43 years old when he vanished in August 2019, was also affiliated with the religious group at the time of his disappearance, according to Claremont police. In August, the law enforcement agency again released a missing person flyer for Moreno.

Moreno is described as Hispanic, with brown eyes and black hair, 5 feet, 6 inches tall, and weighing 180 pounds. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to contact the Claremont Police Department at 909-399-5411.

Anyone who has information about the death of Timothy is urged to call McFarland at 909-370-5140 or email him at smcfarland@coltoncagov. Those wishing to remain anonymous can contact the We-Tip hotline at 1-800-78-crime.