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Body Found in Remote Area Sparks Homicide Probe
31 Oct
Summary
- A woman's body was discovered in a remote area near Anza on October 23, 2026.
- Autopsy confirmed the victim, Jessica Rodriguez, died by homicide.
- Joseph Rainey, 40, was arrested Thursday in Hemet for the murder.
A woman's body was discovered in a remote area near Bautista Canyon Road and Willis Road in Anza on October 23, 2026. Deputies responded to the scene around 2:30 p.m. after the discovery. The Riverside County Sheriff's Office's Central Homicide Unit assumed the investigation.
Autopsy results determined that the victim, 43-year-old Hemet resident Jessica Rodriguez, had been murdered. Investigators identified 40-year-old Joseph Rainey, also of Hemet, as a suspect.
Rainey was arrested without incident on Thursday on State Street. A subsequent search of his home yielded several items connected to the ongoing investigation. He has been booked into the Cois Byrd Detention Center and charged with murder.
