On August 19, 2024, deputies in Hesperia, California, found 19-year-old Aaron Neal in a dirt field near Sultana Street and Escondido Avenue with obvious signs of trauma. Detectives determined Neal had been fatally shot and treated the case as a homicide.

Investigators identified two people known to Neal as suspects: 21-year-old Demetriel Richine Tyler and 20-year-old Elaina Nicole Norman, both of Hesperia. A search warrant at Tyler’s residence on the 9910 block of Topaz Avenue led to the suspects’ arrests without incident. Both were booked into the High Desert Detention Center on charges of murder under California Penal Code 187; Tyler was held without bail and Norman’s bail was set at $2 million. Arraignment was scheduled for August 22, 2024.

No motive has been disclosed and the investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Dylan Gosswiller or submit anonymous tips via We-Tip. Did anyone in the Hesperia area see or hear anything around Sultana Street and Escondido Avenue on the morning of August 19?