Boy, 4, died while in custody of leaders of cult-like group; police reopen investigation
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Two weeks after the leaders of a cult-like group in the Inland Empire were arrested, police have reopened an investigation into the death of a 4-year-old boy who had been placed in their custody.
On Thursday, the Colton Police Department announced that it was reviewing new leads and actively investigating the circumstances surrounding the January 2010 death of 4-year-old Timothy Thomas.
“At the time of his death, temporary custody of Timothy Thomas had been signed over from his birth parents to leaders of His Way Spirit Led Assemblies,” the department said in a news release.
On Aug. 14, authorities arrested a husband and wife who run the Hemet-based religious group as part of an ongoing investigation into the suspicious disappearance, and possible homicide, of one of the group’s members, authorities said.
Leaders of an Inland Empire religious group were arrested as police seized automatic weapons and ghost guns and investigated the disappearance of two missing members.
Pastor Darryl Muzic Martin, 57, and his wife, “Prophetess” Shelly Bailey Martin, 62, were arrested as an investigation continues into the disappearance of Emilio Ghanem, 40, according to the Redlands Police Department. Police are also searching for a man associated with the group who disappeared in 2017.
The couple were arrested on suspicion of possessing illegal weapons. They are both now out of custody and have not been charged.
Ghanem went missing in May 2023 shortly after parting ways with the religious group and opening a pest control company that competed with a business operated by a group leader. Earlier this year, Redlands police said they found the rental truck he was last seen driving “along with additional evidence.”
His disappearance is being investigated as a potential homicide, according to city of Redlands spokesperson Carl Baker.
Redlands police are assisting Claremont police as they investigate the disappearance of Perris resident Ruben Moreno, who was also affiliated with His Way Spirit Led Assemblies, according to police. Claremont police say Moreno was last seen in December 2017 at a Claremont home where group members used to gather.
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