Decades Ago, a Teen Was Killed near the Trail. Officials Now Believe They Just Caught His Killer.

On March 21, 2004, a hiker discovered the body of Reynaldo Burts, 18, in the hills of a strenuous trail in southern California near the city of Idyllwild. There were obvious signs of trauma, indicating that the teenage resident of the neighboring town of Hemet was likely murdered. But for more than two decades, his case was unsolved.

Now, investigators say they have a suspect in custody.

South Fork Trail, where Burts was found, is a 4.5-mile moderately strenuous hike descending from Highway 75. Starting at an elevation of 3,800 feet, the trail is nestled in the South Fork San Jacinto Wilderness, a 20,0000-acre corridor of the San Bernardino National Forest, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

In the years following Burts’ murder, officers with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office say they initially identified 43-year-old San Mateo resident James Landi as a suspect. Until recently, however, they did not have enough information to arrest him.

“Unfortunately, investigators did not have sufficient evidence at the time to make an arrest, and the case went cold,” the sheriff’s office wrote in a news statement.

But a lead broke in August when the Central Homicide Unit reopened the case after officers identified additional leads in the homicide investigation. Outside contacted the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office for more information on what eventually led to Landi’s arrest. We did not hear back by the time of publication, but we will update this article accordingly.

On December 5, authorities arrested Landi on a murder charge.

“With assistance from the Riverside County District Attorney’s Gang Impact Team, investigators located Landi in San Mateo and arrested him without incident,” the statement said. Landi was transported and booked into a detention center. According to his arrest record, Landi was also charged with lying in wait, a felony that involves observing and waiting for the right moment to attack a victim.

Officials are asking anyone with further information about the case to contact the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office at (951) 955-2777.