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Aranda Briones, 16, from Moreno Valley, California has been missing since January 13, and two brothers were arrested on murder charges. Here’s what we know so far about what happened.
1. Briones Was Last Seen January 13 When She Was Dropped Off Near Moreno Valley Community Park
Aranda’s brother, Daniel Briones, told ABC 7 that his sister was last seen near Moreno Valley Community Park on Sunday, January 13, about an hour east of Los Angeles. She was dropped off to spend time with friends. The park is near Frederick and Cottonwood.
The Moreno Valley Police Department said that investigators had searched footage from the citywide camera system and followed up on numerous leads.
In an interview on January 30, her brother Daniel Briones said that everything seemed normal with his sister before she disappeared. He said she came home late Friday night and was feeling sick, and they talked some on Saturday. He said Sunday went by and nothing unusual happened until a friend texted him on Monday and asked if Briones had gotten home safe. That’s when Daniel checked her room and realized she wasn’t there. He and his grandfather went to the park, she wasn’t there, and they started making calls.
You can watch the full interview with the family below:
Her uncle, Matt Horstkotte, said the last time he saw his niece was when they were watching the Rams and Cowboys game on Sunday (she was last seen that Sunday night.) “I know she was making tacos and it was that Sunday,” he said.
Her legal guardian and grandfather, Carl Horstkotte, told ABC 7, “It’s been a living hell” since she disappeared. Matt said that he helped his parents raise Aranda and her brother Daniel.
Deborah Horstkotte, whose husband Joe is one of Aranda’s uncles, told Heavy that Carl and his wife, Jeannie, fostered their grandchildren before finally adopting them. Aranda has three siblings: Daniel, Landy, and Adrianna. “My daughter and Aranda have the same birthday of June 1,” Deborah told Heavy. “Our family is devastated beyond words.”
2. A Friend Who Dropped Her Off Said She Got Into a Gray, Four-Door Sedan, But Surveillance Cameras Don’t Show Briones in the Area at that Time
A friend who dropped Briones said she got into a gray, four-door car, KCAL 9 reported. Her family doesn’t know who was driving the car. “After that, her phone was off,” said her uncle Matthew Horstkotte. The friend told investigators that he dropped her off around 6 p.m. on January 13. It’s unclear if the friend was one of the suspects arrested or someone else. One report by CBS Los Angeles shared that the person who dropped her off was named Owen.
Authorities were not able to verify Briones’ friend’s account, ABC News reported. The friend said they dropped her off at Moreno Valley Community Park around 6 p.m., but investigators could not see her on nearby surveillance cameras, KABC reported. Her brother said that after pulling footage, “It looks like nobody was dropped off between 6:00 and 6:30 EST.”
Briones’ uncle said someone has to know something. He told ABC 7: “Nowadays, you know teenagers want to cover up for a friend or someone says I don’t want to tell because I’m scared. But just come forward – the only person you’re hurting right now is Aranda.”
Her uncle told ABC 7 that he wonders if the friend was hiding something. “She did have a bad choice of friends, I’ll be honest, you know everybody does. Everybody makes mistakes, but you know one thing I want? I just want her home safe.”
3. Snapchat Indicated Showed She Was in a Different Location, But Her Location Was Turned Off When a Friend Asked Her Why She Was There
Her cell phone may have indicated that she was in Rubidoux the night of January 13, her uncle Matthew Horstkotte also told ABC 7. A missing persons post about Briones indicated she might have been seen at a 99 cent store that night, but it’s not clear if this has been confirmed.
The mother of one of Aranda’s friends said on Facebook that Aranda’s Snapchat stopped tracking her, and it was very out of character for Aranda to not communicate with her friends. “They are in contact constantly,” she said on Facebook. “This is totally out of character.” KCAL 9 reported that one of her friends saw on Snapchat that she was in the Riverdale area. When her friend asked her why she was in Riverdale, the location was turned off.
Briones also has three Instagram accounts. Two are private, and she hasn’t made any posts to the public one, which is dedicated to makeup, since she disappeared. A fourth account she once listed as hers is now taken down.
A Facebook page has been set up for anyone who wants to help find Briones. They shared a video searching in Rubidox on January 26.
4. She Was About To Get a Promotion at Work & Her Family Had Just Dealt with Her Grandmother’s Death
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Briones worked at Moreno Valley Mall, where she was about to be promoted to a leadership role, Horstkotte told KCAL 9. “She cares about everyone and there’s like a hole in my heart ’cause she’s missing,” he said.
Briones’ brother, Daniel, 18, said she’s the type of person who’s friends with everyone. She was graduating as a junior, he said, and is really smart. “She always made room for other people even though she was a really busy person in real life,” he said in an interview. (You can watch the full interview in the first section of this story.)
Her uncle said that a lot of false rumors were being spread on social media about his niece. The only accurate information, he said, is what is shared by the police or her family.
Her uncle said in an interview for Moreno Valley Matters that the whole thing has been really hard on his dad (Aranda’s grandfather), who is her legal guardian. And on top of everything else, Aranda’s grandmother, who was her mother figure, had recently passed away. They had been married for 44 years. Her grandmother’s death was devastating for the family. Deborah Horstkotte told Heavy that Jeannie, Aranda’s grandmother, had died unexpectedly two years ago.
Daniel and Aranda are half-siblings, Daniel said in the Moreno Valley interview, and her father, Chapo Lee, had just started establishing a closer relationship with her again in late 2018. Now she’s missing, and he’s been sharing devastated posts on social media. Deborah Horstkotte, Aranda’s aunt, contacted Heavy and said she was disturbed about the media attention Lee was getting. “Her parents’ rights were terminated and her father was incarcerated for over a decade in Mississippi,” she shared. “He unlawfully was contacting her in the months before she disappeared.”
Daniel, Arand’s brother, shared in an interview with Moreno Valley that he and Aranda’s mom has serious health issues. “If she gets too worked up, she is at risk of a heart attack,” he said. That’s why she hasn’t appeared on interviews with media, he said.
Aranda was a bright child with a bright future, Deborah told Heavy. “My husband is retired from the Navy & is a disabled Veteran,” she shared. “We had hoped that one day Aranda might join the service, too. She was bright and in the gifted program in school. Our family is devastated beyond words.”
Daniel said his family isn’t interested in donations. They just want people to pass out flyers and spread the word about his sister.
5. Two Brothers Were Arrested & Charged with Her Murder, Even Though Her Body Has Not Been Found
HAVE YOU SEEN HER? 16-year-old Aranda Briones has been missing for over a week after disappearing from a Moreno Valley park t.co/d9IldrFogD
Two brothers, Owen Skyler Shover, 18, and Gary Anthony Shover, 21, were arrested on felony murder and second-degree murder charges, respectively, CBS Los Angeles reported. They were arrested at their home in Hesperia. Although Briones’ body has not been found, police said that evidence pointed to her being a homicide victim.
If you have any information, please call David Drexler at the Moreno Valley Police Department at 951-486-6700 or the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department after hours dispatch at 951-247-8700. You can also call an anonymous tip line at 951-247-8700.
This is a developing story.