Omar Ornelas/The Desert Sun The Jacumba Wilderness Area, a rugged mountain range on the border of Imperial and San Diego counties, is one of the most dangerous areas for border crossers who are entering California. The Jacumba Mountains on the Southwest border or Imperial county near the Interstate 8 are part of the path that immigrants must endure on their trek north into the United States in search of employment. Many have been saved in this area by Angeles de Desierto, a non-porfit that helps migrants from getting lost and dying in the desert. Tdsbrd 07 10 2016 Desertsun 1 A004 2016 07 09 Img Border Deaths3927 Jp 1 1 Ucene7fg L833376325 Img Border Deaths3927 Jp 1 1 Ucene7fg
San Bernardino County, California – More than a year after she was first reported missing, the remains of 43-year-old Tyna Castillo have been discovered in a shallow grave in the desert near the Colorado River, authorities confirmed. A suspect, 44-year-old Jared Winer, has been arrested in Arizona and is facing a murder charge in connection with her death.
Castillo, who was last heard from in December 2023, was reported missing in February 2024 by friends who had not been able to contact her. The report was filed with the Colorado River Sheriff’s Station in San Bernardino County.
“She was visiting a guy out in Needles,” read a missing person poster shared at the time. “Apparently he left while she was packing and has nooo idea who picked her up or where she was going.”
Detectives initially received little cooperation from witnesses and people of interest, and the case soon went cold, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department (SBSD).
In September 2024, the department’s Cold Case Homicide Team reopened the investigation and began reinterviewing witnesses. New information led them to a remote desert area outside Needles. After eight intensive search operations involving cadaver dogs, rescue teams, and about 100 volunteers, Castillo’s remains were discovered in a shallow grave near the Colorado River.
Investigators determined that Castillo had been fatally shot and identified Winer, who has a long criminal history involving narcotics and firearms in both Nevada and Arizona, as the primary suspect. In 2023, Winer had been arrested in a major drug bust in Bullhead City, Arizona, where police seized over 5,000 fentanyl pills and an illegal firearm.
Winer was taken into custody on May 6, 2025, in Bullhead City on unrelated charges and booked into Mohave County Jail. SBSD detectives obtained a murder warrant, and Winer is expected to be extradited to California once his current charges in Arizona are resolved.
Castillo, originally from Rosemead in Los Angeles County, was described by loved ones as warm, outgoing, and deeply caring. A former high school softball player, she later studied nursing and worked at a law firm before moving to Arizona in 2010 to raise her two children.
“Everyone was drawn to my sister,” Cheryl Castillo wrote on Instagram. “She lit up every room she entered.”
Authorities have not released details regarding the nature of Castillo’s relationship with Winer or a possible motive for the killing. The investigation remains ongoing.
