Beaufort Co. police find body in mobile home park 4 days after estimated death. 3 arrested
Three Burton men were arrested after police found the days-old body of a former housemate in the area of their mobile home, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
Erbert Francisco Vargas-Caballero, 36, was charged Friday with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. Edwin Humberto Martinez-Ruiz, 33, was charged as an accessory after the fact to murder. Both men were also accused of driving without a license, according to Beaufort County jail records.
On Tuesday afternoon, deputies also arrested 36-year-old Burton resident Roland Saul Bardales-Rivera on a murder charge in connection with the same case. All three men remained in custody at the Beaufort County Detention Center as of noon Wednesday.
The men are accused in the murder of 26-year-old Jarin Josiel Avila-Chirinos, whose address in the Hilanda Mobile Home Park was the same on file for the three suspects. Sheriff’s office spokesperson Master Sgt. Danny Allen said most of the individuals involved in the case were “connected to” the residence on Hilanda Drive.
Beaufort County deputies received a tip on Friday that led them to the area of the mobile home, where they found Avila-Chirinos’ body with a gunshot wound. Coroner David Ott estimated his time of death was sometime Aug. 26, four days before his body was discovered. An autopsy on Wednesday would reveal the man’s cause of death.
No one was at the Hilanda Drive residence at the time the body was discovered, Allen said. Because the investigation extended well into Friday night, police arranged hotel stays for residents whose living space was part of the crime scene.
Allen would not answer questions about the circumstances that led to Avila-Chirinos’ death, where his body was found or why Martinez-Ruiz was charged as an accessory. More information would be released at a later date, he said.
The case is believed to be Beaufort County’s 15th homicide so far this year. If murders continue at their current rate, the 2024 death toll could surpass that of last year, which was the deadliest year in decades for gun violence.
Anyone with information regarding the homicide is encouraged to call lead investigator Cpl. Lidey at 843-255-3294 or the sheriff’s office non-emergency dispatch line at 843-524-2777. Tips can also be submitted online at bcso.net.
This story was originally published September 3, 2024 at 12:55 PM.
