Desiree Carmen Fuentes, 43, of Sonoma County was found dead on April 5, 2026, after what began as an interaction in neighboring Lake County. A California Highway Patrol officer stopped a Chevrolet Suburban in Clearlake on Easter Sunday morning for a registration violation; officers observed a large amount of blood inside the vehicle. A rear passenger, 58-year-old Terry Joe Harris, was found dead in the SUV. A passenger, 37-year-old Alex Kenneth Schussolin of Clearlake, tried to flee and was caught; a gun was recovered near where he attempted to run. The driver, 32-year-old Jasslynn Pearl Critchett of Clearlake, was detained at the scene. Fuentes’s body was later located down an embankment miles away. Investigators say Fuentes and Harris had been legally in possession of the vehicle the suspects were driving that day. Schussolin and Critchett were booked into the Lake County Jail on charges that include murder, carjacking and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

Fuentes was a mother reconnecting with her two daughters and was described by family as a sweet social butterfly who didn’t make it to an expected Easter gathering. Anyone who knew Desiree, Terry Harris, or who has information about the events of April 5 is asked to come forward.