Jorge M. Zavala Estrella, a 30-year-old male of Hispanic/Latino ethnicity, died on May 15, 2025, after a burst of gunfire tied to an illegal cannabis grow near Covelo in northeastern Mendocino County. Deputies first traced a 9:01 p.m. 911 hang-up on May 14 to the 82000 block of Mina Road and, as they searched the area, were alerted to an unresponsive man along nearby Hulls Valley Road; the Mendocino County Sheriff later identified the deceased as Jorge M. Zavala Estrella of Vallecito.
A forensic pathologist found he died from multiple gunshot wounds. Two other men were also shot and survived with serious injuries.
The investigation centered on an illicit cultivation site in the Hulls Valley/Mina Road corridor, north of Covelo, roughly 180 miles from San Francisco. Detectives obtained search warrants for the grow and the roadway shooting scene, calling in additional personnel, including investigators from the District Attorney’s Office, to process evidence through the night. Authorities emphasized the link to an illegal operation and described the broader context of violence around unlicensed grows in the region during mid-May 2025.
By late May, officials publicly confirmed the victim as Jorge M. Zavala Estrella, age 30, and said the two wounded men were in stable condition. Coverage consistently placed the victim as a Vallecito resident; local reporting identified Vallecito in Calaveras County. The Sheriff’s updates reiterated the preliminary cause of death as multiple gunshot wounds and described this as a homicide tied to the illegal grow.
As of the most recent reports, no arrests had been announced and authorities had not named any suspect or suspects in the killing of Jorge M. Zavala Estrella, age 30, male. The case remained an active homicide investigation, with officials urging the public to provide information while processing leads connected to the illicit cultivation site and the night’s overlapping crime scenes.
