Man found shot to death, buried in shallow grave at illegal marijuana farm in Oregon

O'BRIEN, Ore. - Deputies found the body of a man who had been shot to death and buried in a shallow grave at the illegal marijuana grow site where he worked, the Josephine County Sheriff's Office said.

Investigators announced the ongoing homicide investigation Tuesday in a press release, but the body was found October 8 off Samarkand Drive in O'Brien, Oregon, a short distance north of the California border.

"The deceased was a Hispanic male, who was known to work on the grow site. Next of kin have been notified, however, the name of the deceased will not be released in order to protect the investigation," the sheriff's office said Tuesday, Dec. 28. "The investigation is still ongoing and further information is not available. Anyone with information pertaining to the incident is asked to call the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office at 541-474-5123."

Deputies and detectives responded Oct. 8 to a report that a man had been shot and buried in the O'Brien area.

"The reporting party did not know the area well but was able to lead law enforcement to a location off Samarkand Drive in O’Brien, Oregon," the sheriff's office said.

Upon arrival, law enforcement recognized the property to be an illegal marijuana grow site, where a previous marijuana search warrant had been served.

The reporting party knew some details regarding the incident and was able to walk LE to a wooded area, approximately one quarter mile from the grow site to a shallow grave.

Law enforcement dug up the shallow grave and confirmed a deceased individual was buried at the location.

The Josephine County Major Crimes Team - which consists of the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office, Grants Pass Police, Oregon State Police and the Josephine County District Attorney’s Office - is conducting the investigation.

Oregon allows the legal cultivation, sale and use of recreational cannabis, but Southern Oregon has struggled to respond to unregistered and illegal marijuana farms. The Oregon Legislature recently dedicated $25 million to aid the effort.

Earlier this year, the sheriff in neighboring Jackson County said the crime rate, associated with the thousands of illegal marijuana farms that have sprung up this year in southern Oregon, has gone through the roof.

“We’ve had stabbings, robberies, thefts, burglaries, homicides, sex crimes, motor vehicle accidents, DUIs, all related to the influx of the marijuana-cannabis industry in our in our valley,” Sheriff Nathan Sickler said. “It is certainly an issue we deal with on a daily basis here.”

Sickler told lawmakers that drug cartels "have a business model: Put up more cannabis illegal grows than law enforcement can ever get. They know we're going to get some, but they know we can't get it all."