A 42-year-old Riverside man was found dead Monday evening in the rural unincorporated community of Good Hope, and Riverside County homicide detectives say they have not identified any suspects or made any arrests. Deputies were called to the area near Read Street and Olive Avenue just before 6 p.m. for a report of a possible deceased person, and what they found there has triggered a full-scale homicide investigation.
According to the CBS News Los Angeles report, deputies responded at 5:40 p.m. on October 19 and located a deceased adult male at the scene. The Riverside County Sheriff's Office said Perris Station investigators responded first before notifying the department's Central Homicide Unit, which has since taken over the case. Investigators have identified the victim as Lonn Lucas, a 42-year-old Riverside resident, though the circumstances surrounding his death remain under investigation, the outlet reported.
Separately, Lake Elsinore Patch reported that Perris Station investigators noted “unusual circumstances” at the scene before calling in the Central Homicide Unit, a detail that underscores why the case moved beyond routine patrol duties. No cause of death has been disclosed, and it remains unclear why Lucas, a Riverside resident, was in Good Hope at the time of his death.
A Rural Community With Few Resources
Good Hope is an unincorporated, rural census-designated place covering 11.2 square miles with a population of 9,468 as of the 2020 U.S. Census, according to Wikipedia. Law enforcement patrol duties fall to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department's Perris Station, which refers major death investigations to the Central Homicide Unit, per the department's own description of its jurisdictional setup.
The area immediately surrounding Read Street reflects the community's limited infrastructure — largely unpaved dirt roads, which prompted the Riverside County Transportation Department to file plans in February 2025 to pave roughly 1,350 feet of nearby Terrace Avenue between Read Street and Main Street, according to filings logged with CEQAnet. Good Hope also records the lowest median annual household income among unincorporated communities in Riverside County's First Supervisorial District, at $43,722, with a population that is roughly 70% Latino, per a 2024 district profile reported by CalMatters.
Pattern of Violent Crime in the Area
Lucas's death is not the only violent case detectives have worked in Good Hope recently. In June 2026, four months before Lucas was found, Central Homicide Unit detectives investigated a fatal shooting that killed 46-year-old Hugo Lomeli on Marie Street, resulting in the murder arrest of a 21-year-old local resident, according to the Canyon Lake Insider. Authorities have not suggested any connection between that case and Lucas's death.
In March 2025, Perris Sheriff's Station deputies arrested a 36-year-old Good Hope resident on suspicion of attempted murder following a stabbing in the 21000 block of Mountain Avenue, as reported by MyNewsLA.com. And in June 2024, Central Homicide Unit detectives launched a murder investigation in Good Hope after 56-year-old Kimberly Dunlap was found shot to death along Highway 74, which led to the arrest of her husband, according to Patch.
The Central Homicide Unit has also handled recent cases in neighboring unincorporated communities. In August, detectives investigated a fatal stabbing in nearby Mead Valley that led to the arrest of a 54-year-old Moreno Valley man, held on $1 million bail, as Hoodline previously reported.
No Suspects Identified, Tip Line Open
As of now, investigators have not identified any suspects, and no arrests have been made in connection with Lucas's death, according to CBS News Los Angeles. Authorities are asking anyone with information to contact Central Homicide Investigator Chua at 951-955-2777 or Perris Station Investigator Hadeen at 951-210-1000.
If prosecutors ultimately pursue charges, any murder case in California would fall under Penal Code Section 187, which defines murder as the unlawful killing of a human being with malice aforethought and carries sentences ranging from 15 years to life, or life without parole, depending on the degree and any special circumstances, according to a legal explainer from Cron Israels and Stark. For now, Riverside County authorities have described unusual circumstances at the scene, and the death remains under active homicide investigation, with no suspects named.
