RIVERSIDE (CNS) - Two brothers accused of killing a 16-year-old Moreno Valley girl who went missing a month ago and is presumed dead were charged today with murdering the teen.
Along with the murder count, Gary Anthony Shover, 21, and Owen Skyler Shover, 18, are charged with a special circumstance allegation of lying in wait.
They're both being held without bail at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside and are scheduled to be arraigned Friday morning at the Riverside Hall of Justice.
Neither man has documented prior felony convictions.
According to sheriff's officials, Central Homicide Unit detectives, working alongside FBI agents, identified the brothers as prime suspects in Aranda Briones' disappearance and death following a weeks-long investigation. The siblings were taken into custody without incident about 11:30 p.m. Monday at their Hesperia residence on Grevillea Street, near Old Ranch Road.
A SWAT unit executed a search warrant at the property, officials said.
Briones was last seen Jan. 13 in Moreno Valley Community Park, at the intersection of Cottonwood Avenue and Frederick Street, where she had been visiting with friends and relatives.
Riverside County sheriff's Lt. Chris Durham said Owen Shover -- a friend of Briones from Moreno Valley High School -- was the last person to have seen the girl alive. Durham said investigators spoke to Shover, who allegedly claimed he had dropped off Briones at the park, where she was picked up by somebody in a four-door sedan. But Durham said surveillance cameras from the area countered Shover's story.
``The camera system was reviewed and ultimately it destroys the timeline that he provided,'' Durham said.
A neighbor of the Shovers told reporters she saw sheriff's investigators digging in the backyard of the brothers' home, and saw them unearth clothing and blankets. Durham declined to comment on what investigators recovered in their search.
``I do know that evidence was collected that confirmed that ... Miss Briones was the victim of a homicide and points at these two brothers,'' Durham said.
Authorities have not disclosed a possible motive for the killing. The teen's body has never been found.
``This continues to be an active investigation,'' Durham said. ``We're still asking for the public's help. We still need their help to find Miss Briones.''
Briones' loved ones have been extensively searching for the teen, distributing flyers throughout the city and surrounding locations bearing her photograph and other information.
Anyone with information was asked to contact the Central Homicide Unit at (951) 955-2777.