Investigators have arrested a 60-year-old Adelanto man on suspicion of kidnapping and murder in connection with the death of another man whose body was discovered inside a burning car.
Teveen Hemphill was arrested about 1 a.m. Wednesday, according to San Bernardino County booking records.
The victim, who remained unidentified, was found about 11:35 a.m. in the area of El Mirage and Vinton roads after a deputy notices a large cloud of smoke and approached to investigate, sheriff’s officials said.
The deputy came across a sedan that was “fully engulfed in flames,” a sheriff’s department statement said. San Bernardino County Fire Department firefighters responded put put out the blaze.
“After the fire was extinguished, fire personnel located an unidentified male in the front of the vehicle,” according to the statement. The person was pronounced deceased at the scene.”
Homicide detectives identified Hemphill as a suspect in the killing, officials said.
Deputies found and arrested him during the early-morning hours Wednesday at Stater Bros., at Highway 395 and Palmdale Road in Adelanto, according county booking records.
No further details regarding the circumstances of the alleged killing were released.
Hemphill was being held without bail pending an initial court appearance in San Bernardino County Superior Court.
Anyone with information was urged to contact Detective Joshua Young of the Sheriff’s Specialized Investigations Division at (909) 890-4904. Information may also be submitted anonymously to the We-Tip hotline at (800) 782-7463.
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This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Adelanto man accused of kidnapping, murder after body found inside burning car
Reporting by Brian Day, Victorville Daily Press / Victorville Daily Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
