SALINAS — A $10,000 reward is being offered for any information leading to the arrest of suspects in what is being investigated as a double homicide the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office announced in a press conference Thursday.
The Sherriff’s Office also disclosed that Jack Canchola, 20, and Andres Garcia, 26, were the victims and provided details on the investigation into the deaths of the cousins from Soledad. Family members were also in attendance at the press conference.
The incident happened just before 7 p.m. Feb. 4, when California Highway Patrol responded to two people being chased by a “light-colored sedan” in the 41,000 block of Los Coches Road, Soledad. The 911 caller said there were “guys with guns” inside the vehicle. When authorities arrived, they found two cars “50 to 100 yards” from the road, the victims’ pickup and the suspects’ silver 2013 Kia Optima. They found the two men unresponsive with gunshot wounds near their pickup.
Police believe Canchola and Garcia were being chased and likely drove off the road in a hurry, after missing a sharp turn.
“At this time we think this was just a mistaken identity,” said Michael Darlington, commander of the Sheriff’s Office investigative unit. “Nothing in their background or history indicates that they had a criminal background or any kind of gang relation. It’s very tragic that citizens of the county, out driving around, were hunted down, shot and killed.”
Detective Arras Wilson, the lead investigator for the case, said the family was together Sunday, Feb. 4. Canchola and Garcia stepped away to take a break.
“The family mentioned Jack was high-functioning autistic and sometimes started to feel stressed or overwhelmed if he was in a large crowd of people,” Wilson said. “He simply wanted a breath of fresh air, so he and Andres went to a scenic spot he always enjoyed.”
While Garcia and Canchola were in the area, they were confronted by the armed suspects and were chased Wilson added.
“The victims tried to avoid the confrontation. They drove off and the suspects chased them down and killed them.”
There has been no information provided about the suspects’ description or ages, but police say they are looking for at least two individuals.
“Somebody knows something, and we are asking for your help with that information. The smallest details you may have or something you think isn’t important may be the key,” said Commander Andres Rosas.
Garcia and Canchola’s older brothers, Miguel Garcia and Jesus Canchola, spoke Thursday about their brothers’ character and what they meant to the community. Both Canchola and Garcia were active in their church and practiced Aztec dancing together.
“My brother was a person that was very kind to the community,” said Miguel Garcia. “He had a job to do at the church and served every weekend to help the priests. I never imagined how painful this situation could be.”
Jesus Canchola said he grew up with his cousin and brother and expressed the pain both families are going through.
“They were two great people. We always had a great laugh together. They were both hard workers. Me and Jack worked together, so we would drive in the morning and back home every day,” Jesus Canchola said. “It’s just really painful to drive to work now, having nobody to listen to music with. Being autistic, he was very outgoing, he never let that stop him from achieving any goal he wanted.”
The Sheriff’s Office received a private donation to fund the reward. Law enforcement authorities asked the public to share any information by calling the main office at (831) 755-3700 or visiting montereycountysheriff.org to submit a tip to remain anonymous.
