Homicide Case Solved In Riverside County After Nearly 20 Years: RSO

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Just before 1:30 a.m. on June 18, 2006, a 21-year-old man was found shot dead in Highgrove, an unincorporated community about 4 miles north of the city of Riverside.

The killer remained on the run, but nearly 20 years later, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department announced an arrest in the case.

Early in the investigation, homicide detectives believed they knew who the shooter was, but they lacked sufficient evidence to charge him, according to the sheriff's department.

That changed. San Diego County resident Anthony Silvas Miera, now 51, was arrested Friday in his hometown of Spring Valley and is facing a murder charge in the death all those years ago of Riverside resident Raymond Cardenas.

Investigators assigned to the Riverside Sheriff’s Central Homicide Unit – Cold Case Unit reopened the Cardenas case in August 2025.

"After conducting additional investigation, the cold case unit developed sufficient evidence to charge Miera," according to the sheriff's department.

It's unclear why Miera was identified as a suspect early in the investigation, or what evidence was recently uncovered.

Little was publicly released about the slaying. According to the sheriff's department, Cardenas was shot multiple times. He went to a nearby residence for assistance, but it was too late to save him.

With the assistance of the Riverside County District Attorney’s Gang Impact Team, Miera was arrested without incident on Friday afternoon in Spring Valley. He was transported and booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside and is due in court on Tuesday.

Investigators did not disclose a possible motive for the shooting.