After nearly two decades of enigmatic silence, a breakthrough in a cold case brings some semblance of progress. On the night of June 18, 2006, 21-year-old Raymond Cardenas was shot and found with life-threatening injuries in Highgrove. Despite deputies from the Jurupa Valley Sheriff’s Station arriving swiftly to the 1000 block of Citrus Street after the distress call at 1:26 a.m., their efforts were in vain; Cardenas was pronounced dead at the scene.
Initial investigations had pegged Anthony Miera, who at the time was among the names pronounced as suspects, but the evidence seemed as elusive as shadows under a noon sun, and he was not charged, according to a statement obtained by the Riverside Sheriff's Office. Years marched on and the case lapsed into a frigid dormancy. This August, in relentless pursuit of justice, the Riverside Sheriff’s Central Homicide Unit – Cold Case Unit revisited the case, their determination unyielding as winter frost.
Advancements in the investigation led to a turnabout; sufficient evidence emerged to encircle Miera, now a 51-year-old resident of Spring Valley. In a coordinated effort, the Riverside County District Attorney’s Gang Impact Team eased Miera into custody on December 26, 2025, without a ripple of incident. He has since found himself confined within the walls of the Robert Presley Detention Center, facing the grim echo of a murder charge.
While the case has resurfaced from the depths of forgotten files, it is far from closed. The Riverside Sheriff’s Department persists with their probe, the lid of information sealed tight as they delve deeper. On this ongoing investigation, no additional detail is willing to emerge. Nevertheless, the authorities encourage those who carry shards of knowledge pertinent to this case to come forward and reach out to Lead Investigator Dan Brown at the Central Homicide Unit, as recounted on their official communication platform.
