It was a first date out of a horror movie, authorities say.
Priscilla Castro, a 32-year-old from Vallejo, was headed to Vacaville on a Wednesday evening in August to meet Victor Serriteno, a 28-year-old she’d met through an online dating app.
But instead of romance, the interlude ended in multiple deaths and hundreds of thousands of fire-scorched acres, prosecutors say.
The person behind all the crimes, authorities say, is Serriteno, whom Solano County sheriff’s deputies arrested again Wednesday on suspicion of arson and murder in connection with the Markley fire, which killed two people and merged into last year’s devastating LNU Lightning Complex fire. Serriteno was already in the county jail after authorities alleged he killed Castro.
Woman killed in head-on crash with semi on Hwy. 108 in Stanislaus County Matthew Nuttle
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A woman was killed in a head-on crash with a semi-truck on Highway 108 in Stanislaus County early Friday morning.
The crash happened between Oakdale and Knights Ferry just after 6 a.m., according to the California Highway Patrol (CHP).
When first responders arrived on the scene, they found a red 2006 Volkswagen sedan with its front end crunched beneath the front end of the semi. The driver of the Volkswagen was pronounced dead at the scene.
That person has not been identified.
Investigators say the Volkswagen was heading westbound on Hwy. 108 and had just passed Lancaster Road toward a bend in the roadway. At the same time, the semi-truck driver was heading eastbound when for an unknown reason, investigators say the Volkswagen drifted into the oncoming lane and collided with the semi-truck.
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Victor Serriteno allegedly killed Priscilla Castro and started the Markley Fire.
• 6 min read
Catch up on the developing stories making headlines.Vacaville Police Department
On Aug. 16, 2020, Priscilla Castro, a 32-year-old from Vallejo, California, headed to nearby Vacaville for a first date with a man she met on a dating app, according to police.
She was never seen again, Vacaville police said.
Now her date, who was charged with murder, is also accused of setting a wildfire to cover up the crime which ignited a massive blaze that claimed two more lives, officials said.
Gavin Evans20:50, Apr 30 2021
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According to a claim made by officials on Wednesday (local time), a 2020 Northern California wildfire was intentionally set to try and cover up a murder. That blaze, dubbed the Markley Fire, ended up killing two other people – 64-year-old Leon Bone and 82-year-old Douglas Mai. As a result the man who is alleged to have started it, Victor Serriteno, will have two new murder charges filed against him. He’ll also be facing an arson charge. The fire was set near a dam. The burned body of Priscilla Castro was located in the same area. In September, Serriteno was arrested by Vacaville police. He was charged with Castro’s death.
A deadly California wildfire was set to cover up a woman s murder, authorities say 989thevibe.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from 989thevibe.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.