Full Notification

INFORMATION:
 
On January 6, 2021, Deputies from the San Benito County Sheriff’s Office located human remains on Salinas Grade Rd near the county lines of San Benito and Monterey Counties.  The remains were mostly skeletal, and identification would take a forensic examination.
 
The decedent was transported to the Santa Clara County Medical Examiners office in San Jose, CA for autopsy.  After an extensive process, an identification was made.  On January 20, 2021 a determination was made the decedent was SAUL VENEGAS of Salinas, CA.  It would be learned VENEGAS was a reported missing person from the Salinas Police Department on November 10, 2020.
 
Immediately, the Salinas Police Department and our office began a joint investigation.  The command staff of the Salinas Police Department offered “any resources” we needed from them to assist in our investigation.  They even set up a workstation and housed a San Benito County Sheriff’s Office Detective in their building.
 
Since late January, our two agencies have not stopped working this case.  Through numerous investigative processes, we learned JORGE T MARTINEZ and CRYSTAL TONEY were two of the suspects in the conspiracy to commit the murder of SAUL VENEGAS and then cover it up. Part of the cover up was the transportation of the suspected vehicle used in the murder to a storage locker in Brea, CA.
 
Brea Police Department assisted us when we located the vehicle hidden in Brea, CA.  A search warrant was authored for the vehicle and numerous pieces of evidence to support this case were recovered by the FBI Evidence Response Team from the Los Angeles FBI Office.
 
Arrest warrants were authored for MARTINEZ and TONEY and the pair were located back at the storage facility in Brea, CA on February 10, 2021.  The Brea Police Department contacted and arrested MARTINEZ and TONEY without incident.
 
Detectives from our office and the Salinas Police Department went to Brea, CA immediately and interviewed the suspects.  Useful further evidence was located during this investigation to implicate JORGE MARTINEZ is responsible for the murder of SAUL VENEGAS on or about November 10, 2020.  CRYSTAL TONEY is responsible in the conspiracy to assist MARTINEZ and is also being charged as an accessory after the fact. This is an ongoing investigation and we are still pursuing leads for other suspects in this case.
 
The pair were transported to the San Benito County Jail by our corrections staff on February 14, 2021.  They are being arraigned this afternoon at the San Benito County Superior Court.
 
Our office would like to thank the Salinas Police Department for their unwavering support in this case.  They dedicated multiple persons to assist us to include their CSI staff, Detectives, CSOs and Command Staff.  We would not have been able to piece this case together without them and their tenacity.  Also, the staff of the San Francisco and Los Angeles FBI Offices were a huge help.  The Evidence Response Team from FBI LA spent an entire day processing the vehicle for us.
 
Brea and Anaheim Police Departments opened their doors to us and provided staff to assist in multiple search warrants, evidence processing, vehicle tows, and interview rooms.  The inter-agency cooperation in this case was amazing.  Brea PD also surveilled and arrested the suspects without incident.
 
Anyone with information in this case is encouraged to call our office at 831 636-4080, or email Detective Jason Leist at [email protected].
 
You can also text TIP SBCSO to 888777
 
BY: Captain Eric Taylor
DATE: 2/17/2021