Man arrested in Yuba City for murders in Gridley area
Dec. 8—The Butte County Sheriff's Office (BCSO) said it has arrested a suspect in the murder of Ladexter Pelt, 25, and John Dubose, 20, after an investigation that led detectives to interview individuals throughout the state including in Marysville and Yuba City.
In November, family members of Pelt and Dubose contacted the Gridley Police Department to report the pair was missing, according to a release from BCSO. Gridley PD then asked BCSO for assistance in the investigation into the missing persons.
BCSO said Pelt and Dubose, who were from Alabama, had flown to Sacramento and then traveled to the Butte County area. Family members said they were concerned because they had lost contact with the pair after they arrived in the Butte County area, the release said.
According to BSCO, friends and family members provided additional evidence to suggest Pelt and Dubose died shortly after arriving in Butte County.
During the investigation, BCSO detectives, Butte Interagency Narcotics Task Force detectives, BCSO Special Enforcement Unit detectives and Designated Area deputies located evidence that gave them cause to believe Pelt and Dubose were murdered at a residence in the unincorporated area of Gridley, BCSO said.
During that time, BCSO said detectives also located evidence that gave them cause to believe Ricardo Banuelos-Villarreal, 30, of Gridley, and Alfredo Banuelos-Villarreal, 35, of Gridley, allegedly murdered Pelt and Dubose and then hid their bodies.
On Nov. 14, detectives contacted and arrested Ricardo Banuelos-Villarreal at a residence in Yuba City. He was charged with two counts of murder and is currently in custody at the Butte County Jail. An arrest warrant also was obtained for Alfredo Banuelos-Villarreal for two counts of murder. Multiple law enforcement agencies are actively searching for him, the release said.
Detectives also are actively searching for the bodies of Pelt and Dubose and are seeking to interview anyone who has interacted or had contact with Ricardo Banuelos-Villarreal or Alfredo Banuelos-Villarreal within the past three months, the release said. Detectives also want to interview anyone who observed suspicious activity on their property or farm within the past month.
Detectives are currently searching for Alfredo Banuelos-Villarreal and a 2008 Nissan Altima with California license plate number 6VAR204. If anyone has information about this investigation, the location of Alfredo Banuelos-Villarreal or the Nissan Altima, they are encouraged to call detectives at 530-538-7671.
