California wildfire sparked in 2020 intentionally set to cover up murder, police say nydailynews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nydailynews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
One Wildfire In 2020 s LNU Complex Believed to Have Been Arson to Cover Up Murder
One of last August s wildfires that merged with others to become the LNU Lightning Complex fires is now believed to have been the result of arson and the culprit, according to the Solano County Sheriff s Office, is a 29-year-old man who likely set the blaze to cover up an earlier murder.
The Markley Fire, which broke out on August 17 near Monticello Dam, had an origin point very close to where authorities later discovered the body of 32-year-old Priscilla Castro, on September 2. On Wednesday, a 29-year-old Vacaville man, Victor Serriteno, was arrested and charged with Castro s murder following an eight-month investigation, as the Associated Press reports.
California man Victor Serriteno set historic Markley Fire to cover up a murder, prosecutors allege washingtonpost.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from washingtonpost.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Sheriff: Man intentionally set deadly California wildfire to cover up a murder
Solano County Sheriff s Office
Solano County Sheriff Tom Ferrara
and last updated 2021-04-29 14:11:09-04
SOLANO COUNTY, Calif. â Authorities in Northern California have charged a man they believe set a deadly wildfire last year in an attempt to cover up a murder.
After an 8-month criminal investigation, the Solano County Sheriffâs Office and Cal-Fire announced Wednesday that theyâve determined the cause of the 2020 Markley Fire was arson. That wildfire killed two people in the county and those deaths are now considered homicides.
In the aftermath of the fire that started on Aug. 18, officials say they found two victims deceased in their homes, 82-year-old Douglas Mai and 64-year-old Leon âJamesâ Bone. Additionally, the body of a missing person, Priscilla Castro, was discovered in the Stebbins-Cold Canyon area.
Serriteno pleaded not guilty to her murder.
Castro vanished on Aug. 16 after failing to return home from a planned date with Serriteno in Vacaville, authorities said. The two had met online.
Two days later, a blaze dubbed the Markley Fire erupted in the area where Castro s body was found and merged with other blazes to become the LNU Lightning Complex, which caused six deaths and destroyed about 1,500 homes and other buildings.
Two of the fire victims 82-year old Douglas Mai and 64-year old Leon “James” Bone were found dead in their homes in unincorporated Solano County, the Sheriff s Office said.