Mortuary worker who stole jewelry from deceased elderly woman arrested
RIVERSIDE, Calif. — An Orange County mortuary transport employee was arrested earlier this week after a months-long investigation into the reported theft of a ring worth thousands of dollars from the hand of a deceased elderly Riverside woman last September, authorities announced Dec. 3.
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Detectives with the Riverside Police Department’s Property Crimes Unit began an investigation after family members noticed a ring, valued at several thousand dollars, was missing from their loved one’s hand and reported the theft to the Riverside PD.
Detectives learned the victim passed away Thursday, Sept. 24 at a Riverside hospital.
A mortuary transportation driver, Mark Anthony Zuniga, 27, of Downey, was arrested after allegedly stealing a ring – “a family treasure” valued at thousands of dollars – and later pawning the ring at a Los Angeles pawn shop. Riverside PD photos
“A mortuary based out of Orange County handled arrangements for the family and used a decedent transport company to drive the woman’s body to their mortuary facility,” Riverside PD officials have since reported.
As their investigation continued, detectives were able to determine the ring had been pawned in Los Angeles County by one of the men who were contracted transportation drivers for the mortuary service.
Based on their findings and additional follow up investigation, detectives identified Mark Anthony Zuniga, 27, of Downey, and arrested him on Tuesday, Dec. 1.
He was later booked into Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside on suspicion of removing articles from a dead body, a felony.
“Due to current bail schedules for non-violent offenses in California,” Zuniga was cited and released within hours of his arrest, said RPD; adding, “Additionally, Mr. Zuniga has been relieved of his transportation duties.”
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Detectives were able to recover and return the stolen ring back to the decedent’s family, “who expressed their gratitude for the thorough investigative work that led to this arrest and return of a family treasure,” said authorities.
Anyone with additional information regarding this investigation and arrest should contact Detective Edward Vazquez at (951) 353-7955 or by email. Those wishing to remain anonymous can also use this e-mail. Callers can refer to incident file number 200026696.
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Trevor Montgomery, 49, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, (the now defunct) Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta County.
Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)
During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.
Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.
Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.
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