A man whose body was found inside a burnt vehicle in Thermal and later determined to be a homicide victim was identified Tuesday as a 23-year-old Mecca resident.
Deputies responded to the scene of a vehicle fire on July 18 at about 2 a.m. on Pierce Street, south of Airport Boulevard, according to Riverside County Sheriff’s Sgt. Ben Ramirez.
After firefighters extinguished the blaze, the body of Luis Pinedo was found charred inside, and homicide investigators were called to the scene.
Pinedo’s death was initially deemed suspicious by the sheriff’s department, which later upgraded it to a homicide investigation after medical examiners discovered evidence of “homicidal violence,” Ramirez said.
The Riverside County coroner’s office was able to identify the body as that of Pinedo by using dental records, according to the department, which said the investigation remains ongoing.
No additional information was released.
Anyone with additional information was urged to call sheriff’s Central Homicide Investigator Mendoza at 951-955-2777.