Slain Suspect Was Related to Crime Victim

A home-invasion robbery suspect who was shot and killed by sheriff’s deputies in Pedley on Friday was the grandson of the woman who was house-sitting the home where the crime occurred, authorities said Tuesday.

The suspect, who was killed while trying to elude capture in the heavy brush of the Santa Ana River, was identified as Pedro Olmedo Meza, 17, of Mira Loma. The teenager was the grandson of the sole occupant of the home--a woman who was taking care of the residence on behalf of its owners, said Riverside Sheriff’s Sgt. Perri Feinstein-Portales. She was also baby-sitting the owners’ children, who were in school at the time.

Authorities have not disclosed the woman’s medical condition, or her name--saying they want to protect her as apparently the only surviving witness to the crime.

Eric Thach, a Riverside County deputy sheriff of three years, was shot once in the back and killed when he apparently interrupted the crime. He was called to the scene by a neighbor who was suspicious of an open door.

Funeral services for Thach, who is survived by his wife and 13-year-old daughter, will be held at 10 a.m. today at Harvest Christian Fellowship Church in Riverside.

The identities of the other two suspects in the shooting remain unknown and the search for them continues, Feinstein-Portales said.