BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — The Kern County District Attorney’s Office announced that a man was charged with first-degree murder after an extensive joint investigation with eight agencies. The death involved a man who was reported missing in California City.
The District Attorney’s Office said it filed a criminal complaint against Umar Faheem Waldron for the murder of James Craig Turner that happened between August 7th and August 8th, 2026.
According to the California Highway Patrol, a Silver Alert was issued on behalf of the California City Police Department for James Turner, who was last seen on August 7, 2026, at around 7 a.m., in California City.
A Silver Alert was issued on behalf of the California City Police Department for James Craig Turner, who was last seen on August 7. A man was then charged with murder for his death. PHOTO: CHP
The DA’s office said a complex and extensive initial investigation led by the Kern County District Attorney’s Office and the California City Police Department into the death of Turner was conducted with the help of the Lancaster Police Department, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, Bakersfield Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, California Highway Patrol, and the Kern Regional Crime Laboratory.
According to the DA’s office, on August 18, 2026, Waldron was found in Las Vegas, Nevada, taken into custody, and subsequently extradited to Kern County.
On September 8, 2026, prosecutors charged Waldron with first-degree murder. In the complaint, it is also alleged that Waldron has a prior strike conviction for an attempted murder out of Los Angeles County, that the crime involved great violence, that the victim was particularly vulnerable, and that the defendant served a prior prison term.
An arraignment hearing is scheduled for September 8, 2025, in the Kern County Superior Court.
Eyewitness News has reached out to the California City Police Department for additional details.