Monday, 27 July 2026, 22:52
A woman was fatally shot at an illegal cannabis cultivation site in remote Mendocino County, sparking a multi-county investigation that led to three arrests and a manhunt for a teenage suspect. The case underscores the violence often linked to unlicensed marijuana operations in Northern California.
On July 9, Mendocino County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the 22000 block of Rifle Range Road in Covelo, a remote community about 60 miles north of Ukiah, where they found Josepha Littlewolf Basurto, a Covelo resident, shot inside a pickup truck. The property is located in the Round Valley area northwest of Covelo. The vehicle had multiple bullet holes, and an autopsy later determined she died from a gunshot wound to the torso. The vehicle was a silver 2007 Toyota Tacoma with numerous apparent gunshot holes.
Witnesses told detectives that two brothers had been staying at the grow site and left immediately after the shooting. The brothers’ father, Elias Juarez Garcia, allegedly drove to Mendocino County from Porterville to pick them up and then transported them hundreds of miles south to avoid capture. A stop-and-detain alert was placed on Juarez Garcia’s vehicle with the California Department of Justice. Additional investigators from the Mendocino County Major Crimes Task Force, the Mendocino County District Attorney's Office, and the County of Mendocino Marijuana Eradication Team responded to assist. Criminalists from the California Department of Justice in Eureka also processed the crime scene.
According to a press release, a woman called 911 shortly before 9 p.m. to report she found her family member deceased in a rural area.
On July 10, deputies arrested 35-year-old Jesus Hernandez Sosa of Covelo on suspicion of cultivating marijuana using an illegal water diversion, maintaining a place for illegal drug activity, and possessing marijuana for sale. Authorities reported that Sosa was initially contacted in Sonoma County on July 10 before his arrest. He was released on July 13 after the district attorney’s office declined to file those charges. But further investigation led to a homicide warrant for Sosa. After interviewing Garcia Acosta and Juarez Garcia and reviewing additional evidence, investigators determined Sosa was also involved in the killing. Detectives worked with Lake County authorities to locate Sosa. After learning a vehicle associated with Sosa was possibly in Ukiah, law enforcement canvassed the area. He was later found at the Mendocino County Superior Courthouse in Ukiah and arrested without incident. He is now held without bail on murder and firearm charges, specifically personal use of a firearm during a felony resulting in death. Jail records from the Chronicle show Rodriguez also faces a charge of assault with a semiautomatic firearm.
On Friday, July 24, the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office provided an update on the case, confirming that the investigation led to the arrests and that a search continues for the 17-year-old.
During a July 10 interview, Sosa provided information that helped investigators identify the two brothers, authorities said. They were later identified as 22-year-old Elias Garcia Acosta (reported as Elias Juarez Rodriguez by the San Francisco Chronicle, and previously identified by police as Elias J. Rodriguez to the Ukiah Daily Journal), of Adelanto, and a 17-year-old whose name is withheld due to age. The father, 44-year-old Elias Juarez Garcia, was also implicated. In a statement, the sheriff's office said, "Probable cause was developed that Juarez Garcia knew his sons were involved in the homicide, and assisted in transporting them hundreds of miles away to avoid apprehension."
On July 17, with help from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office, authorities located Juarez Garcia and his 22-year-old son in Adelanto, about 600 miles from Covelo. They were in the same vehicle believed used to flee the scene. Both were arrested without incident. The 17-year-old was not found. On July 18, investigators from the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office traveled to San Bernardino County to process the vehicle for evidence and to interview both suspects.
Jail records show that Rodriguez was booked into Mendocino County Jail on July 21 on suspicion of murder, then re-booked on July 23 on a charge of assault with a semiautomatic firearm. He was held under $125,000 bail. His father, Elias Juarez Garcia, was also booked on July 21 and re-booked on July 23 on suspicion of being an accessory after the fact, held under $15,000 bail. These figures match those reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, though the sheriff’s office originally listed Garcia Acosta without bail and Juarez Garcia at $350,000. The discrepancy has not been officially clarified.
No motive for the killing has been released.
Covelo is a small, unincorporated community in Mendocino County, known for its rural landscape and history of clandestine cannabis grows. The sheriff’s office has repeatedly warned that illegal grow sites lead to violent crime, water theft, and environmental damage. During a related search on July 18, deputies found another illegal grow with over 10,000 plants, firearms, water diversions, and illegal pesticides.
In a statement Friday, July 24, the sheriff’s office said authorities “continue to see serious crime with violence and continued environmental degradation in illegal grow sites throughout Mendocino County,” prompting search warrants at several sites. During a search Thursday, deputies encountered two armed individuals; one escaped and the other was taken into custody. More than 10,000 marijuana plants were found at that site, as well as firearms, water diversions and illegal pesticides. The sheriff’s office did not disclose the location or the suspects' names.
Illegal cannabis cultivation has been a persistent issue in Northern California since the state legalized recreational marijuana in 2016. Unlicensed grows often operate on public or private land, attracting organized crime and violence. The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office has conducted multiple raids in recent years, but the remote terrain makes enforcement difficult.
Authorities continue to search for the 17-year-old suspect and urge anyone with information to call the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office at 707-463-4086 (option 1) or submit anonymous tips at 707-234-2100. The case highlights the deadly consequences of illegal cannabis operations and the challenges of bringing all perpetrators to justice.
