The leaders of the group have been under investigation in connection with the disappearance of former member Emilio Ghanem in May 2023 after visiting a Redlands Starbucks. Separately, Claremont police are investigating the disappearance of Moreno\u2019s brother, Ruben, who was also a member, while Colton police have been probing the death of 4-year-old Timothy Thomas in 2010, who was in the Martins\u2019 custody when he died after not receiving medical treatment.<\/p>\n
Authorities have yet to explain whom they allege each person killed. But Darryl Martin\u2019s booking records in the Riverside County jail show he was held on allegations of murder, possession of a machine gun, and explosives. His wife was booked in the San Bernardino County jail on suspicion of murder and possession of a machine gun. Moreno was booked on suspicion of second-degree murder, possession of a firearm by a felon, and possession of a machine gun. The arrests occurred Thursday morning.<\/p>\n
On Aug. 6, Redlands police, with help from the FBI, swarmed the current base of His Way Spirit Led Assemblies in Hemet as part of the investigation into the disappearance of Ghanem.<\/p>\n
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Emilio Ghanem was reported missing in May 2023.<\/p>\n
(Redlands Police Department)<\/p>\n
Four residents were briefly detained, with two booked on unrelated weapons charges, police said. Several illegal firearms \u2014 converted fully automatic rifles, short-barreled rifles and unserialized ghost guns, were recovered.<\/p>\n
Police conducted a similar raid on Aug. 12 at a remote compound connected to the group in the Riverside County town of Anza, where they briefly detained eight people and recovered electronic devices and other digital evidence, according to Redlands Police Department spokesperson Carl Baker.<\/p>\n
Officers at that time also detained the Martins at a motel in Laguna Hills but ultimately released them without seeking any criminal charges.<\/p>\n
But the investigation did not stop.<\/p>\n
Authorities began giving the group a closer look last year, after Ghanem had disappeared and investigators found the truck he\u2019d been driving along with other evidence that led them to believe a homicide may have occurred.<\/p>\n
Ghanem joined His Way Spirit Led Assemblies around 2000 and helped launch a pest control business run by the group, called Fullshield Inc., his sister, Jennifer Ghanem, said. <\/p>\n
For many years, he lived in one of the group\u2019s Colton homes.<\/p>\n
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A California religious group that police describe as \u2018cult-like\u2019 has landed in the spotlight after a 4-year-old boy died and two members disappeared.<\/p>\n
In April 2023, Ghanem left both the religious group and the company it operated, MaxGuard, behind and moved to Nashville to reunite with his family. Ghanem started his own pest control company, then returned to the Inland Empire to open a satellite office to win back some of his old clients before he disappeared.<\/p>\n
While Redlands police were looking into Ghanem\u2019s disappearance, over the summer Claremont police announced that another missing man, Ruben Moreno, had been affiliated with the group. Moreno was reported missing in 2019.<\/p>\n
As word of the Redlands police investigation spread, Colton police renewed its investigation into the death of 4-year-old Timothy Thomas on Jan. 16, 2010 \u2014 after he died within an hour of the 911 call, according to the coroner\u2019s report. He was in the custody of Darryl and Shelley Martin at the time.<\/p>\n
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Authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding the January 2010 death of Timothy Thomas.<\/p>\n
(Colton Police Department)<\/p>\n
Timothy\u2019s cause of death was ruled to be septic shock due to a ruptured appendix, according to the coroner\u2019s report. Detectives suspect neglect also played a role, according to Colton detectives.<\/p>\n
Police recommended charges against the Martins in 2010, but the San Bernardino County district attorney\u2019s office declined to prosecute.<\/p>\n
Neither the Martins nor their attorney has responded to The Times\u2019 inquiries.<\/p>\n
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Timothy Thomas was staying with members of His Way Spirit Led Assemblies in Colton when he suffered a medical emergency, authorities say. <\/p>\n
(Daniel Flesher \/ LA Times Studios)<\/p>\n
When Timothy died, group members were uncooperative with the investigation and gave conflicting testimony, making it challenging to prosecute the case, authorities said.<\/p>\n
At the time, then-Det. Jack Morenberg, who was investigating, expressed concern over allegations of child abuse and said the home had the appearance of a possible \u201c\u2018cult-like\u2019 ministry,\u201d according to the coroner\u2019s investigative report. <\/p>\n
As part of the probe, Darryl Martin told police that Timothy\u2019s parents had given him and his wife temporary custody of their three children because their mother had problems and couldn\u2019t provide a stable home, according to the report. One of Timothy\u2019s aunts told police that the Martins would not allow the boy\u2019s mother to see him, or her other children.<\/p>\n