CALIFORNIA CITY, Calif. (KERO) — After a unanimous vote, the California City Council approved to pay the $25,000 reward in the now closed murder case of Desiree Thompson.
Thompson was killed on January 7, 2012. Her killer, Jose Lara, was found guilty and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.
Before his arrest, Lara went seeming under the radar for more than 10 years. He was a complete stranger and Thompson’s family, as well as investigators, believed Thompson’s estranged husband was the culprit.
That was until an anonymous tip came in.
Ten years after her murder, investigators received a call from a man and his son claiming they had details about Thompson. They told police that Lara, years earlier, had bragged to them about picking up a woman and killing her in his home. He told them he burned her body and buried her in his backyard.
Investigators were able to corroborate that information and extract Thompson’s remain. Her family was finally able to gain some closure and give Thompson a proper burial.
Before that tip, Thompson’s case had remained cold. A $25,000 reward had been offered for any information that could lead to an arrest.
While the tipsters wished to remain anonymous, California City Police Chief Jesse Hightower said the reward will be paid and split between two persons.
While Thompson’s case is closed, Cal City still has several open unsolved cases.
The cases include Dr. Burdette Thorbus murdered in 2001, Matthew Lininger murdered in 2010, Charles Pieper murdered in 2012, Demetri Thomas murdered in 2014, Deverrie Schiller murdered in 2016, Robert Austin Tharp missing in 2014 and Phillip Hammond missing since July 2017.
Rewards have also been offered in several of these cases. Anyone with information is asked to call the Secret Witness Hotline at (661) 322-4040.
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