On July 24, 2023, 26-year-old Taylorraven Whittaker and 36-year-old Jorge Ramos were found fatally shot inside a bullet-riddled blue Subaru sedan at Pelican Cove Park in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. A hiker discovered the vehicle about 6:50 a.m., and both victims were pronounced dead at the scene. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department classified the deaths as homicides resulting from multiple gunshot wounds and reported Whittaker and Ramos were in a dating relationship.

In the days after the discovery, six people were arrested in connection with the double homicide. Investigators said the suspects are believed to be members of a criminal street gang that targets victims in secluded scenic areas with poor cellphone reception. Authorities suspect the same group was involved two days earlier in the fatal shooting and robbery of 32-year-old Jesse Munoz on Angeles Crest Highway in Pasadena; charges in Munoz’s case were brought against three men: Luis Ventura, 24; Marco Antonio Hernandez, 18; and Abraham Ernesto Alvarenga Cortez, 21, with Ventura pleading not guilty and others awaiting arraignment or preliminary proceedings.

The Sheriff’s Department continued to investigate the Rancho Palos Verdes killings and any links between these incidents and other crimes across Los Angeles County. If anyone has information about Whittaker, Ramos, or activity in Pelican Cove Park around July 24, 2023, please come forward.