Suspect arrested in deadly shooting at Indio hotel

The Indio Police Department has arrested a suspect from the deadly shooting at the Royal Plaza Inn which occurred on Sunday, January 15. Lilliana Yanez Arellano, a 32-year-old mother of three, was killed in the shooting. Officers were called to the hotel at about 2 a.m. that day after multiple people reported a disturbance at the hotel.

Indio police arrived to the hotel that morning and found Arellano deceased in the room with what appeared to be one gunshot wound.

Family confirms identity of woman killed at Indio hotel

Sgt. Dan Marshall said the homicide suspect has been identified as 21-year-old Aaron Drayer of Denver, Colorado. Detectives tracked him down on January 15 at an address in San Bernardino. Drayer was hiding in the bathroom when officers arrived to the home, according to Sgt. Marshall.

Drayer was booked at the Riverside County Jail in Indio on homicide charges. He’s being held on $2M bail. He’s due in court on January 26 at the Larson Justice Center in Indio.

KESQ and CBS Local 2 spoke to Lilliana’s mother in an exclusive interview on January 18.

Sgt. Marshall said, due to the fact the arrest was made so quickly after the incident, detectives needed to locate and interview several other potential witnesses before the suspect’s name and photograph could be released to the public.

The homicide investigation is ongoing. KESQ News Channel 3 and CBS Local 2 will have more details from authorities as Drayer’s case proceeds.