A Salinas man suspected of beating his parents to death in November was found and arrested without incident by the U.S. Marshals Service outside of a Los Angeles church on Tuesday morning, the Salinas Police announced.
Ellin “Omar” Escamilla, 25, had been on the run since November 15, 2016, when his parents, Ricardo Escamilla, 71, and Amalia Bayardo Escamilla, 65, were found beaten to death inside of the home on Essex Court where the three lived. A $2 million felony no-bail warrant was issued, naming the son as the main suspect.
Salinas Police officials worked closely with the U.S. Marshals Service Northern California and Central California-Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force over the past seven weeks, a police statement says. Several potential leads and tips led to the agencies finding Escamilla at approximately 8:30am Tuesday, and arresting him outside of a Los Angeles Victory Outreach Church.
Salinas Police detectives traveled to Los Angeles the same day to interview Escamilla and transport him to the Monterey County Jail, according to police officials.
The case began after a relative walked into the family’s home in North Salinas on the evening of Nov. 15, finding it in disarray. The relative walked out and called 911. Police said they observed “obvious signs of struggle” upon entering the house, before finding the victims’ bodies.
Escamilla was spotted in Los Angeles within a day after the discovery, and his vehicle, a brown Lincoln MKX, was located and recovered in the Los Angeles area. At that time Salinas Police said they believed Escamilla may be en route to El Centro, California, or Yuma, Arizona.