Nalen Rylie Peterson, 18, of Tulare was found fatally shot inside a vehicle near North West Street and West Prosperity Avenue on June 5, 2021. First responders pronounced him dead at the scene and the Tulare Police Department classified the incident as a homicide and opened an extensive investigation.

Detectives interviewed witnesses, reviewed physical and digital evidence, and identified a suspect vehicle, a black Jeep Wrangler. That inquiry led to the arrest of three women: Stephanie Esqueda, 19, of San Diego; Jacquelyn Hernandez, 20, of Tulare; and Alyssa Soto, 21, of Tulare. Hernandez and Soto were charged with being accessories after the fact and held at the Tulare County Pretrial Facility with bail set at $500,000 each. Esqueda’s immediate status was not clear.

On September 5, 2021, police arrested an 18-year-old named Ruben Abila and charged him with murder in connection with Peterson’s death; investigators say the earlier arrests helped lead them to Abila. The killing was one of several homicides in Tulare that year and authorities asked anyone with information to come forward.

Did anyone in Tulare see the black Jeep Wrangler or have information about the incident that could help investigators?