More than two weeks after detectives found two bodies in a clandestine marijuana garden near the Napa-Sonoma county line, Napa County sheriff's detectives said they may be close to identifying the men who appeared to have been slain and left in the woods.
The bodies were in the advanced stages of decomposition, and officials hoped that dental records would identify one of the men and DNA evidence will identify the other, Napa County Sheriff's Capt. Tracey Stuart said.
"They have a sense of who they are and are hoping to pin that down," Stuart said.
A team with the Napa Special Investigations Bureau hiked into the garden July 1 after a tip led them to believe they would find two bodies in a marijuana garden. They found the dead men and about 3,000 immature pot plants concealed in thick brush near the Sonoma County line east of Sugarloaf Ridge.
Coroner's officials removed the bodies from the rural hillside forest July 2. Agents on July 6 ripped up the plants, taking some as evidence, Stuart said.
On July 7, authorities arrested a Boonville man in connection with the marijuana garden, which officials said was most likely connected to a Mexican drug trafficking group. Stuart declined to say whether the man is considered a suspect in the homicides.
Carlos Guerrero, 45, was being held without bail on suspicion of marijuana cultivation, being a felon in possession of a firearm and methamphetamine possession.
Guerrero is scheduled to be back in Napa County Superior court Wednesday when a judge will decide if there's enough evidence to go ahead with a preliminary hearing scheduled for Thursday, Napa County District Attorney's staff said.
Federal narcotics and immigration agents are aiding the investigation.
You can reach Staff Writer Julie Johnson at 521-5220 or julie.johnson@pressdemocrat.com.
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