Human remains found in Riverside home are likely missing Paso Robles man, police say

Authorities have located human remains believed to be those of missing Paso Robles man Trevon Perry, Police Chief Ty Lewis announced at a news conference Friday.

Lewis said human remains were found in a Riverside home on June 18, after an “extensive and complicated” search into Perry’s disappearance led law enforcement to that city.

DNA confirmation is still pending, but police “feel confident at this time the remains we have located are Trevon’s,” Lewis said. The recovered remains did show evidence of homicide.

“We are sad we weren’t able to bring Trevon home, alive and well, as we all hoped,” he said.

Lewis said no arrests have been made related to the Riverside find, and the investigation is ongoing. There are suspects in the case and he expects them to be taken into custody soon, he added.

“We want to get this right,” Lewis said of the the investigation moving forward. “It is critical our next steps are thorough.”

Police investigating since March

Perry was last seen by his family leaving his home with some friends on March 16, according to a Paso Robles police news release at the time.

The friends later told police they last saw Perry leave another friend’s home on foot after attending a small gathering. None of his friends or family have been able to contact him since then, and it appeared his cell phone was turned off.

Lewis said police have developed a comprehensive timeline regarding Perry’s disappearance but are not prepared to share it with the public.

“The integrity of the investigation — since we haven’t made any arrests — is our primary focus right now,” Lewis said. “That information is being guarded, so to speak, at this time.”

The investigation into Perry’s disappearance has taken police all over California, and even into Nevada, Lewis said.

Law enforcement in the city of Riverside, Riverside County and San Bernardino all helped with the investigation, as did California Department of Justice crime labs throughout the state, he said.

Murder trial witness

Paso Robles police in May said they believed foul play was potentially involved in Perry’s disappearance.

Months before his disappearance, Perry testified in a preliminary hearing for a San Luis Obispo County murder trial, though it is unclear what he said during his testimony.

Perry testified for the prosecution against Kejuan Bynum, 26, of Atascadero, who’s accused of fatally stabbing 23-year-old Cristopher Vento Wilson in Shandon in June 2019.

District Attorney Dan Dow said he could not comment on details of Perry’s involvement in the ongoing trial beyond confirming he was a witness. Dow said he did not have details on whether Perry had or requested any form of police protection in relation to the trial.

After the press conference, Dow told The Tribune his office has not linked Perry’s disappearance to Bynum’s trial.

He said there are cases in which witnesses require relocation assistance through the state Department of Justice, “but it’s pretty rare we end up having to do that.”

Police are sometimes enlisted to provide additional protection for witnesses, which may involve conducting extra patrols in certain areas, among other strategies, Dow said. Typically, that kind of protection is needed in domestic violence or gang-related cases, he said.

In Perry’s case, “there was no reason to believe it was needed,” Dow said.

This story was originally published June 26, 2020 at 3:22 PM.