2/20/26 Update Per Riverside County Sheriff’s Office: Investigators corroborated new information and determined Padron was not the suspect of the murders. On February 17, 2026, Alberto Tomas Padron was exonerated of the charges and released from custody.
Investigators continue to follow all leads in an attempt to identify the suspect(s) of this investigation. This case is an ongoing investigation, and no further information will be released at this time.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office encourages anyone with information regarding the incident to contact Central Homicide Unit Master Investigator Joshua Manjarrez at (760) 393-3530 or Thermal Station Lead Investigator Burgie at (951) 863-8990.
Homicide Investigation
February 14, 2026 – Riverside County Sheriff’s Office officials report that on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, at 11:33 p.m., 
deputies from the Thermal Sheriff’s Station were dispatched to a residence in the 67000 block of Polk Street, in Thermal, regarding two possible deceased subjects. Upon arrival, responding deputies located 50-year-old Oscar Romero Castro and a 47-year-old Hispanic male adult, whose identity is being withheld pending notification to next of kin. Both subjects had sustained apparent gunshot wounds and were pronounced deceased at the scene. The Riverside Sheriff’s Central Homicide Unit responded and assumed the investigation.
During the course of the investigation, the suspect of the murder was identified as Alberto Tomas Padron, a 43-year-old resident of Mecca. On February 12, 2026, with assistance from the Riverside District Attorney’s Office Gang Impact Team, Padron was located in the 91000 block of 3rd Street, Mecca, where he was taken into custody without incident. Padron was booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center for murder.
This is an active and ongoing investigation, and no further information will be released at this time.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office encourages anyone with information regarding the incident to contact Central Homicide Unit Master Investigator Joshua Manjarrez at (760) 393-3530 or Thermal Station Lead Investigator Burgie at (951) 863-8990.
Reporting Supervisor: Sergeant Lance Stoyer
File # C260420038
Source & photo: Riverside County Sheriff’s Office
