Skeletal remains of two Simi Valley residents with gunshot wounds recovered Sunday evening

VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. – The skeletal remains of two people were recovered Sunday and identified as 65-year-old Stephanie Elizabeth Perez and 64-year-old Jose Luis Perez, both of Simi Valley.

According to the Ventura County Sheriff's Office, a preliminary assessment indicates that Stephanie Perez's death was a homicide and Jose Perez's death was a potential suicide, but the final manner of death designation is awaiting an official Coroner's Report.

On May 4, 2025, around 6:52 p.m, dispatchers received a call from a hiker who stated they had found what appeared to be the skeletonized human remains in the area around Sunrise Trail and Autumn Ridge Trail stated a press release Thursday from the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.

The remains were confirmed by the Ventura County Medical Examiner's Office to be two sets of human remains and, after an examination, the remains were identified as Simi Valley residents Stephanie Elizabeth Perez and Jose Luis Perez shared the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.

According to the Ventura County Sheriff's Office, the examination also confirmed that both had died from gunshot wounds to the head and a firearm was recovered from the scene.

This currently appears to have been an isolated incident and both were reported missing in July of 2024, explained the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.

The investigation into the deaths is ongoing and anyone with information is asked to contact Detective De La Cerda at 805-384-4724.