BURBANK (CNS) - Authorities today identified brothers from Bakersfield as being two of the three men whose bodies were found inside a parked SUV in an industrial area of Burbank. Investigators also said the investigation has led detectives to a property in Riverside County.
Burbank police responded to a parking enforcement call around 7 a.m. Tuesday about a Jeep SUV parked in the 1300 block of South Varney Street and found the bodies, said Burbank police Sgt. Derek Green. The brothers were identified today as Jan Amiama, 21, and Lucas Josh Amiama, both of Bakersfield, said coroner's Assistant Chief Ed Winter.
The name of the other man has not been released, pending family notification, but the Amiama brothers had been listed as missing out of Bakersfield along with a third man named Carlos Lopez.
Autopsies on the bodies were pending.
Reports from the scene indicated that the Jeep was registered to someone in Tennessee.
``This is definitely suspicious and we believe foul play is involved, so it's being treated as a homicide at this time,'' Green told City News Service on Tuesday. The car matched the description of the vehicle in a missing persons flier circulating on social media, the Los Angeles Times reported. The flier says three men heading to Riverside in a Jeep Patriot with Tennessee plates went missing. One post said the men disappeared April 13, the newspaper reported.
Bodies of Three Men Found in Parked SUV in Burbank
By City News Service
It's unclear how the bodies were positioned in the vehicle, though Green told the Times no one was in the driver's seat. Because the area is secluded and close to the freeway, Green said the bodies may have been moved to Burbank.
The investigation has led to Riverside County, Green said in a statement this morning.
``Burbank Police Department investigators have been working in conjunction with investigators from the Riverside County Sheriff's Department in order to follow up on information regarding a property in the 5200 block of Stone Avenue in Riverside,'' Green said.
``The property has been identified as a location of interest,'' Green said. ``It is unclear what connection the property may have to the missing individuals from Bakersfield and this homicide investigation. The location was secured by Riverside County Sheriff's personnel (Wednesday) evening pursuant to a search warrant, and was held overnight pending a search of the property during daylight hours.
Burbank Police Department investigators hope that a search of the property will provide further information related to this investigation.''