In the quiet community of Manson, Washington, a tragic series of events unfolded on September 8, 2015, forever changing the lives of several families. Jose Luis Leyva Rodriguez, a 58-year-old Hispanic man originally from El Ranchito, Michoacán, Mexico, had been a cherished member of the Manson community for 25 years. A hardworking man in the agricultural industry, he was known for his integrity, charisma, and a sense of humor that could brighten anyone's day.
He was a loving husband to his wife of 25 years, Maria Ocampo Marquez, and a proud father to their three sons.
On that fateful Tuesday afternoon, the tranquility of an orchard on Ivan Morse Road was shattered by gunfire. Chelan County Sheriff's Deputies responded to a report of two men shot in a vehicle. Upon arrival, they discovered the bodies of Jose Luis Leyva Rodriguez and 24-year-old Edgar Cisneros-Costumbre, both deceased from gunshot wounds. The investigation quickly pointed to Benito Caro Sedano, a 56-year-old local man, as the prime suspect. It was believed that Cisneros-Costumbre was a potential witness in a prior kidnapping and murder case in which Sedano was a suspect.
As law enforcement descended on the area, the situation escalated. A deputy encountered a man on an ATV, believed to be Sedano, who opened fire on the patrol car, striking it multiple times before fleeing. This led to a standoff at a nearby residence. Later that evening, after obtaining a search warrant, officers made a grim discovery inside the home on Ivan Morse Road: the bodies of Benito Caro Sedano and his 50-year-old wife, Maria G. Sedano. Investigators suspect that after killing Leyva Rodriguez and Cisneros-Costumbre and firing at the deputy, Benito Caro Sedano returned home, killed his wife, and then took his own life.
In the wake of the violence, the community was left to mourn the loss of four lives. While the primary suspect in the deaths of Jose Luis Leyva Rodriguez and Edgar Cisneros-Costumbre was also deceased, authorities did locate and arrest the Sedanos' 29-year-old son, Benny G. Sedano, on an outstanding warrant. He was interviewed in connection with the shootings, but as of the initial reports, he had not been charged in relation to the incident. The community remembered Jose Luis Leyva Rodriguez as a devoted family man who sacrificed much for their well-being, a man whose laughter and presence were a gift to all who knew him.
