Murder Charge Filed After Woman's Remains Found In RivCo Home

PERRIS, CA — A first-degree murder charge was filed Tuesday against a Perris man in connection with the discovery last week of a dead relative, 70-year-old Debra Cruthirds.

In addition to the murder charge, John Douglas Cruthirds, 44, is also facing a sentence-enhancing allegation of inflicting great bodily injury on a senior citizen.

He made his initial court appearance Tuesday before Superior Court Judge Melissa Hale, who appointed a public defender for him and set a May 6 arraignment at the Riverside Hall of Justice.

The investigation into Cruthirds started at about 9:40 a.m. Friday, when deputies were asked to conduct a welfare check on a woman at her home in the 2100 block of Glimmer Way in Perris.

It's unclear who requested the check, but when deputies arrived, "they located evidence of a homicide," according to the sheriff's department. "Human remains were later located at the residence."

According to reporting from City News Service, investigators determined the victim was killed roughly two weeks before the sheriff's department was contacted.

Investigators determined John Cruthirds was the suspect, and jail records show he was arrested just after 10 a.m. Friday on Glimmer Way. It's not clear whether he lived in the same home as the victim. His relationship to her was not disclosed.

Cruthirds was questioned by investigators and booked into Riverside's Robert Presley Detention Center early Saturday morning. His bail is set at $1 million.

The circumstances of the killing and a possible motive were not disclosed.

Cruthirds has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County, but he was accused of domestic violence in Orange County. Court records dating back to 2022 show his wife filed a restraining order against him.

In his Instagram account, Cruthirds identifies professionally as a plumber. One photo he posted in August 2020 shows him with two women; one of them, he said, was his mother, and the other appears to be his wife.

Cruthirds captioned the image, "I saw my amazing Mom which due to Covid happens no where near enough. Love you Mama. 😘 social distance selfie with my two Loves. ☺️💙."