Man found dead in Modesto-area pot grow. Deputies seek help to find who killed him

Stanislaus County sheriff’s deputies are seeking the public’s help to develop leads in a homicide case from last week.

On Sept. 24, deputies were dispatched to a report of a man found dead in a relatively small outdoor marijuana grow at a residence on the 1200 block of Eugene Avenue, south of Modesto.

The man, since identified as Fernando Sotelo, 53, of Modesto, was determined to have died under suspicious circumstances, the Sheriff’s Department said in a Facebook post. The cause of death has been determined but is not being released, and the case now is being investigated as a homicide, department spokesman Sgt. Joshua Clayton said Monday.

To protect the integrity of the case, the Sheriff’s Department is saying very little about the case, including the cause of death and when it is believed to have occurred. Clayton did say the initial call came from someone at the home on Eugene, which is just northwest of East Hatch and Herndon roads.

Anyone with information on the case is urged to call Detective Adam Rodriguez at 209-525-7093 or Stanislaus Area Crime Stoppers at 209-521-4636. Callers to Crime Stoppers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward. Tips also can be submitted via www.stancrimetips.org.

This story was originally published September 30, 2019 at 11:25 AM.