Buried Body Found Near Colorado River ID'd As IE Woman, Arrest Made

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA — The mystery of what happened to an Inland Empire mother who disappeared 18 months ago has come to a tragic ending, and an arrest has been made.

Last week, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department announced that a body found buried in the open desert along the Colorado River in Needles was that of 43-year-old Tyna Castillo.

On February 3, 2024, Castillo was reported missing to the sheriff's department. The Needles woman had not been heard from since December 2023, and she was not returning messages, according to the law enforcement agency.

During the initial investigation into her disappearance, detectives learned that Castillo was possibly murdered on a residential property in Needles. The eastern San Bernardino County city is situated in the Mojave Desert on the western banks of the Colorado River, bordering California, Arizona, and Nevada.

The investigation did not get off to a good start, however.

"Detectives contacted witnesses and people of interest in Castillo’s disappearance and received poor cooperation. The case went cold, and Castillo was not located," according to the sheriff's department.

Things began to change in September 2024 when the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department’s Cold Case Homicide Team took over the investigation. Homicide detectives interviewed witnesses and finally gleaned information about the whereabouts of Castillo: She was dead.

After eight different search operations, on March 5, 2025, human remains were found with the assistance of Red Rock Search and Rescue, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department Search and Rescue, Sheriff’s Human Remains Detection dogs, San Bernardino County Public Works, and approximately 100 volunteers.

The remains were later positively identified as those of Castillo. She died by gunshot, according to the sheriff's department.

The hunt for Castillo's killer continued, and on May 6, 2025, the Bullhead City Police Department arrested Jared Winer, 44.

Winer was booked into a Mohave County jail on unrelated charges stemming from alleged crimes in Arizona, but will be extradited to California to face a murder charge in Castillo's death, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.

It's unclear why the Needles man was in Arizona or what led investigators to him. His relationship with Castillo, if any, was not disclosed by investigators.

In a missing person's report shared on social media, Castillo was allegedly visiting a man in Needles when she disappeared.

Castillo was originally from Rosemead, Calif., and moved to Arizona in 2010, according to a GoFundMe page established for her two children.

"Tyna worked at a law firm, studied nursing, and earned her degree in fashion design from Brooks College," according to the page. "She was creative, artsy, a great cook, and had a deep love for music. More than anything, Tyna had a remarkable ability to connect with others—rooted in her genuine acceptance of people as they were."

A celebration of life for Castillo will be held from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday, June 19, at Pierce Brothers in San Gabriel. Her ashes will be placed at 10:30 a.m. the following day at Resurrection Cemetery, where she will be laid to rest with her parents, according to the GoFundMe post.

Anyone with information regarding the death of Tyna Castillo is asked to contact Det. Justin Carty or Sgt. Justin Giles at the Specialized Investigations Division: 909-890-4904. Callers can remain anonymous and contact We-Tip at 800-78CRIME or www.wetip.com.