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Sonoma County Sheriff’s detectives arrest three for murder in Cloverdale missing person case
NORTH COAST, Calif. – Detectives from the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office have arrested three men for the murder of a missing Cloverdale man.
Socorro Sierra, 34 of Healdsburg, and Santa Rosans Felix Fernando Carreon, 43, and Climmie Smith-Hill, 30, were taken into custody in the case, according to Sgt. Spencer Crum.
Crum said the case began on July 2 when a woman reported to the Cloverdale Police Department that her father, Jose Martinez, had been missing since June 29. She thought he may have gone on a fishing trip but got concerned when he hadn’t returned and his truck, a white Toyota Tacoma was also missing.
Officers from the Cloverdale Police Department issued a “be on the lookout” for Martinez and his truck to other law enforcement agencies. They also interviewed a number of family members and friends that indicated Martinez may have been involved in significant marijuana dealings, had been receiving threats lately and that this was likely more than just a routine missing person case, Crum said.
Crum said detectives from the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office were consulted and worked closely with Cloverdale PD in an attempt to locate Martinez.
At about 6 a.m. Tuesday a Sonoma County Sheriff’s deputy found a truck matching the description of Martinez’s on Masterson Court and Holiday Street in Santa Rosa. Crum said the truck had the license plates removed and they had been swapped out with paper dealer license plates.
When the deputy ran the vehicle’s identification number, he found that this was the truck registered to Martinez. Crum said detectives from the sheriff’s office were called and started their investigation into the truck and how it ended up there.
Through investigative efforts and witness interviews detectives identified the suspects in the case as Sierra, Carreon and Smith-Hill, Crum said.
Detectives learned that Martinez and Socorro had significant marijuana dealings and the Sierra had recently threatened Martinez over a disputed business transaction, according to Crum.
Through a number of interviews sheriff’s detectives learned that Martinez went to Ray’s Food Place on Cloverdale Blvd in Cloverdale at about 8 a.m. Friday, June 29. Crum said detectives believe Martinez was kidnapped from the front of the store by the three men in a dark sedan.
Martinez was driven to the top of Geysers Road near the Calpine geothermal plant. Sierra walked Martinez to a remote location by a creek where he shot him to death with a handgun. Crum said Sierra walked back to the car where he met with Carreon and Smith-Hill. He drove them back to Santa Rosa and dropped them off.
Crum said that on Saturday, June 30, Sierra returned to the creek where he had left Martinez’s body. Sierra wrapped the body in a tarp and brought it back to his car. He then transported Martinez’s body to Healdsburg at a marijuana garden in the 2100 block of West Dry Creek Road.
Sierra, with the help of Carreon, rented a backhoe and brought it to the property where they dug a hole approximately 5 to 6 feet deep. Crum said they placed Martinez’s body in the hole and covered him with dirt.
Detectives learned about the location of the buried body in the marijuana garden. On Wednesday, Crum said detectives went to the property and, using a backhoe and shovels, unearthed Martinez’s body that was located under about five feet of dirt. Martinez’s body was transported to the Sonoma County Coroner’s Office pending an autopsy.
Crum said Carreon was arrested on July 10 at about 12:15 a.m. in the area of Marlow and Jennings Avenue in Santa Rosa on unrelated drug charges.
Sierra was arrested in the parking lot of the Guerneville Road Safeway Shopping Center on Tuesday at 3:45 p.m. Crum said a handgun, believed to be used in the homicide, was located inside Sierra’s vehicle at that time.
Smith-Hill was arrested at the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday at 1 a.m. after an interview, Crum said.
Crum said all three men were booked on charges of murder, kidnapping and conspiracy and are being held without bail.