Aguanga Massacre Was Brutal Gang Sending A 'Message', Sheriff Says

TEMECULA, CA —Authorities believe they have identified several persons of interest in a "brutal" mass killing that took place in 2020 at an illegal marijuana operation near Temecula, but investigators say they will need the public's help to finally crack the case.

At a Friday news conference, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco shared new details from a four-year investigation into gang members suspected of orchestrating the deadly raid on the marijuana operation in Aguanga, an unincorporated area roughly 18 miles east of Temecula.

Bianco also renewed his appeal to the public to come forward with missing details.

"We know there are people out there who have information about these murders. We are pleading with you to do the right thing," Bianco said.

Sheriff's Sgt. Jarred Bishop confirmed Friday at least three people of interest have been identified who have some type of involvement in the murders. Detectives now believe the shooting was targeted, involving members of a Laotion street gang from the San Diego area.

"What we're hoping for right now [is] for the community to come forward with more information that can tie them to their exact role [in the crime]," Bianco said.

Bianco highlighted the challenges detectives have faced, citing the potential involvement of human trafficking victims or undocumented immigrants coerced into working at illegal grow operations, though he did not confirm if this was the case at the Aguanga property.

"This investigation has been extensive and extremely difficult," he said. "It also highlights a major obstacle that law enforcement routinely encounters when investigating crimes committed against people who are in this country illegally, especially those who we believe are victims of human trafficking."

Bianco also acknowledged that the people who have information may be afraid to come forward.

"They are afraid of retribution," he said. "The only thing I can say to them...is they're being victimized over and over by the same people. They have to help us remove those people from their communities and put them in prison where they belong."

More than 20 people had been residing on the property, which had makeshift living spaces and a nursery. There, more than 1,000 marijuana plants and hundreds of pounds of processed marijuana were found, but no suspects were located.

The sheriff described the unsolved case as a particularly gruesome one.

"We have a deputy that is no longer with us because he couldn't get over the scene," Bianco shared. "It was a brutal murder of people while they were sleeping."

More than a dozen people were on the property, and many were asleep when perpetrators stormed the premises and murdered seven Laotion workers as they slept.

When detectives arrived at around 2 a.m. on Sept. 20, they found six bodies, with one woman suffering from significant and especially brutal injuries. She was taken to a hospital but died before she was able to tell deputies anything.

"There were a lot of people," Bianco said Friday. "They all fled when the gunshots started ringing out. As horrible as losing the seven is, there could have been a lot more."

Bianco attributed the nature of the deadly scene to "the brutality of the Laotion gang," and that they meant to send a message that day.

"They were getting in and out as quickly as possible to steal money and there were people there in their way," he said.

The coroner's office identified the male victims as Khamphour Nanthavongdovane, 53, and Vikham Silimanotham, 64. The women were identified as Phone Chankhamany, 54, Khamtoune Silimanotham, 59, Souphanh Pienthiene, 48, Thongpath Luangkoth, 47, and Samantha Sourignasak, 44.

A deputy from Laos was on hand to translate the press conference and to demonstrate proper pronunciation of the victims' names.

Similar grow operations have long plagued the rural reaches of Riverside County, particularly in Anza Valley, Bianco said.

What's more, he said it isn't uncommon for victims of forced labor on marijuana farms to arrive at local hospitals suffering from injuries from being beaten, stabbed or shot.

"We guess, we know, but they won't tell us what or where it occurred," he said. "This is not something new. This is a product of illegal marijuana growing, and it's been going on for years."

However, operations conducted by the sheriff's department have resulted in a "graveyard of marijuana grows."

Anyone with information is urged to call Central Homicide Unit Master Investigator Victor Magana or Master Investigator Ryan Deanne at 951-955-2777 or contact him by email at vmmagana@riversidesheriff.org.