On September 7, 2020, 64-year-old Vikham Silimanotham was one of seven people killed at an illegal marijuana grow and processing site on Highway 371 in Aguanga, California. Deputies from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department found six people fatally shot at the property and a seventh victim who later died at a hospital. All seven victims were of Laotian descent and were believed to be recent immigrants working at the large-scale operation, where investigators recovered more than 1,000 pounds of processed marijuana and several hundred plants.

The site housed over 20 people in makeshift dwellings and a nursery. The attack was described as a targeted assault involving gang members from the San Diego area and was classified as a home invasion robbery, although nothing was reported stolen. Initial leads produced no immediate suspects and the investigation went cold until new clues surfaced in December 2024 linking the killings to a Laotian gang and identifying a mid-size dark-colored SUV as one vehicle used in the shooting.

Anyone with information about Vikham Silimanotham, the Aguanga grow site, or the dark-colored SUV is asked to contact the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.