2 Charged With Killing Roommate Police Find Car Near Freeman, But No Trace Of Alleged Victim

Spokane police appealed Friday for help in solving a murder case in which they have two suspects but no corpse.

Investigators found the car of the apparent victim, 29-year-old Ruben Rivas, 2102 E. Pacific.

Police focused their search on the car and spotted it in a gravel pit south of Freeman, near Darknell and Drumheller roads.

Detectives didn’t find the body.

Two of Rivas’ three roommates were arrested Tuesday morning and charged Friday with second-degree murder.

The suspects, who remain in the county jail, are Hector H. Castaneda, 36, and his brother, Julio C. Castaneda, 34. Hector Castaneda was being held in lieu of $200,000 bail, while Julio was held without bail on a U.S. Border Patrol hold.

Lt. Jerry Oien declined to identify the third roommate, who is not a suspect.

“We’ve interviewed him,” Oien said. “He was not at the scene when the incident occurred.”

The investigation began Monday evening when two friends of Rivas reported independently that they believed he was killed at home on Sunday night.

Patrol officers searched the house Monday night, and the Major Crimes Unit did a more thorough examination Tuesday. Oien declined to say what investigators found or what they think happened.

He said police are not sure of a motive and don’t know whether there was an altercation. However, the second-degree murder charge indicates there is no evidence of premeditation.

Since Sunday, Rivas has not shown up for either of his jobs at Alloy Trailers in the Spokane Valley and the Playfair Race Course, where he was a groom.

The Secret Witness program is offering a $500 “no-questions-asked” reward for information that leads to Rivas or his car. Anyone with information may call 327-5111 and use a code name or number to collect the reward.

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