Two brothers arrested on suspicion of murder in disappearance of teenage girl

Two brothers have been arrested on suspicion of killing 16-year-old Aranda Briones nearly a month after she disappeared in Moreno Valley, authorities said.

Owen Skyler Shover, 18, and Gary Anthony Shover, 21, were booked on suspicion of murder after the Riverside County Sheriff’s SWAT team and homicide detectives arrested them about 10:30 p.m. Monday at their Hesperia home.

“Evidence was collected that confirmed Ms. Briones was a victim of homicide and points to these two brothers,” said Riverside County Sheriff’s Lt. Chris Durham.

The younger Shover was a high school friend of the missing teenager and claimed to have last seen her on Jan. 13 near Moreno Valley Community Park.

He told her family and investigators that he dropped her off and saw her get into a gray four-door car. But detectives were able to unravel that story, Durham said.

“The cameras were reviewed and ultimately it destroyed the timeline he provided,” Durham said.

Detectives have not recovered Briones’ body, he said, and don’t know the specifics of her death. Her family still held out hope Tuesday that she would be found.

“Sadly, cases like this are hard for everybody,” Durham said. “The community came together in hopes to find Ms. Briones.”

Detectives searched the brothers’ home and recovered evidence related to Briones. Detectives interviewed many friends of the missing teen. Some described Owen Shover as Briones’ boyfriend but detectives have called him simply a friend.

Her family and friends have distributed fliers in supermarkets and parking lots hoping for clues. The FBI joined the search last month.

“I know what is true: She’s alive to me, she’s always going to be alive until I find her,” said her father, Chapo Lee, after being briefed by the sheriff’s detectives.

richard.winton@latimes.com

Twitter: @lacrimes