Hector Manuel Prado Jr., 40, a Hispanic/Latino man, was found dead in a harvested field near the intersection of West Lerdo Highway and Wildwood Road on the evening of October 23, 2025, in Wasco. He was discovered around 5:30 p.m., and an autopsy later determined the cause of death to be multiple gunshot wounds; the manner of death was ruled a homicide. The Kern County Coroner publicly identified him days later, confirming the date, place, and circumstances surrounding his death.
Local reporting did not include any information about arrests or identified suspects connected to the killing, and there were no investigative details released beyond the coroner’s findings at the time of identification. A community memorial listing likewise recorded Prado’s death on October 23, 2025, in Wasco but did not note any suspect leads.
