19-year-old Luis Rosas arrested in Perris-area homicide of Ronald Gargano

Riverside County detectives arrested 19-year-old Luis Rosas on Feb. 2 after identifying him as a suspect in the Jan. 18 homicide of a Perris man found in an unincorporated area near Nuevo. The suspect was located during the execution of a search warrant at a Moreno Valley residence and booked at the Robert Presley Detention Center on suspicion of murder.

Deputies first responded shortly before 12:30 p.m. on Jan. 18 to reports of a man down near Nuevo Road and Foothill Avenue. Investigators found 63-year-old Ronald Gargano of Perris with "traumatic injuries" and he was pronounced dead at the scene. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office later said the incident "was determined to be a homicide."

The Central Homicide Unit assumed the investigation after Perris Station deputies secured the scene. A preliminary inquiry determined that Gargano had sustained traumatic injuries; authorities have not released details about cause of death, weapon use, motive, or whether the suspect and victim were known to each other. "The circumstances surrounding the victim’s death remain unclear. No further details, including a motive or whether the suspect and victim were known to each other, were released," the sheriff’s office said.

Investigators executed a search warrant in the 25000 block of Dracaea Avenue in Moreno Valley - near Perris Boulevard and the Hometown Square Shopping Center - where Special Enforcement Bureau and Major Crime Unit personnel located Rosas. "Rosas was located and taken into custody without incident," deputies said. Reports describe the booking as on suspicion of murder; some accounts refer to the arrest as for murder. At this stage, formal charging documents from the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office have not been released publicly.

The arrest closes a critical gap in the immediate public timeline but leaves major investigative questions open. For neighbors and community members, the case underscores the role of local law enforcement coordination: Perris Station deputies, Central Homicide Unit detectives, the Special Enforcement Bureau, and the Major Crime Unit all worked across jurisdictional lines to locate and arrest the suspect.

Authorities are asking anyone with information to contact the Central Homicide Unit at 951-955-2777 (Investigator Deanne) or Perris Station at 951-210-1000 (Investigator Garcia Flores). Those calls can be pivotal in clarifying motive, corroborating timelines, and identifying any other possible suspects.

Next steps will include obtaining formal charging information from the district attorney, reviewing booking records at the Robert Presley Detention Center, and awaiting any coroner or autopsy findings that detail the cause of death. For readers in and around Perris and Moreno Valley, the immediate takeaway is that a suspect is in custody but the investigation remains active; community tips can help investigators fill in the unanswered questions.