Family believes foul play involved in deadly La Quinta crash
The family of a man who was found dead inside his burning car in La Quinta on July 8 is speaking out in their search for answers.
Robert Zendejas, 66, of Perris, was found dead inside his car after it crashed into a gate and caught fire on Avenue 62, west of Monroe Street, said his family..
Read our original report on the deadly La Quinta crash
“This is my daughter’s house in Riverside, my work is basically 2-3 miles from there and this is where they found him,” Robert Zendejas Jr. told KESQ News Channel 3’s and CBS Local 2’s Katie Widner.
He said he feels something just does not add up in the details of the death of his father and he wants investigators to take a closer look. He said he fears foul play may have been involved.
“There was no damage to the front of the car and there was no smoke in his lungs, so they say he was already dead when the fire started,” he said.
The pair had been together earlier that morning in Perris and had plans to fix the air conditioning in the older Zendejas’ car when the younger got off work.
“I text him back right away and I tell him I’m leaving. He says at 12:30, ‘well I’m on my way to your work.'”
That was the last he ever heard from his father. Authorities responded to the wreck in the eastern part of the Coachella Valley at 3:31 p.m.
“There was no reason he should have been there. No reason,” Zendejas said.
Zendejas is a also a diesel mechanic and said he had recently inspected the car himself and found no mechanical issues. He said he believes someone else drove it to the location and left the body in the driver’s seat. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department confirmed there is an active death investigation.
“The incident is being investigated by the investigations bureau out of the Thermal station,” said Deputy Armando Munoz.
At this point, there are no signs of foul play. However, the department could not confirm how far along in the investigation they were. The agency is still awaiting the results of an autopsy report for an exact cause of death. The coroner’s office could not provide any further information, due to the investigation.
The Zendejas family said they are offering a $1,000 reward for any information that leads to an arrest.
More: I-Team and Stands for You investigations
Find us on Facebook: KESQ News Channel 3 & CBS Local 2
Follow us on Twitter for breaking news updates: @KESQ & @Local2
We’re on Instagram! @KESQ_News_Channel_3 & @CBSLocal2
Noticias en español: Telemundo 15
