Anwar Ayala Rodriguez was 17 when he was murdered on April 26, 2021, at a marijuana grow site on Sherwood Road in Willits, California. Investigators say the site was operated by 48-year-old Christopher Wayne Gamble, and that Anwar and another victim, Ulises Andrade Ayala, were beheaded; law enforcement never recovered the victims’ severed heads.

Multiple agencies assisted the investigation, including the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office, the Mendocino Major Crimes Task Force, the Department of Justice crime laboratory, Chico State’s Department of Anthropology, and the Ukiah Valley Fire Authority. Gamble was charged with multiple counts, including first-degree murder in Anwar’s death.

A Mendocino County jury found Gamble guilty of first-degree murder for Anwar Ayala Rodriguez and true a special circumstance that at least two murders occurred, imposing a sentence of life without the possibility of parole; additional convictions and enhancements for the other victim and related crimes increased the total term.

If anyone knew Anwar, his movements on April 26, 2021, or has information about the grow site, please share what is known.