A 23-year-old man suspected of killing his roommate in Ventura County was arrested over the weekend hundreds of miles away near the eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Cameron Lykins, of Ojai, was arrested Sunday afternoon in Lone Pine, located in the Owens Valley of Inyo County. The search for Lykins began earlier that day when deputies discovered a bloody crime scene at the Ojai residence he shared with 22-year-old Houston Auer.
Ventura County Sheriff's deputies were contacted by their colleagues in Inyo County, who had located Lykins and his pickup. Investigators said there is evidence that Lykins used the truck to transport the body of his roommate almost 300 miles from the crime scene.
"Further investigation led to information that Lykins killed Auer during a disturbance that occurred at the residence during the early morning hours," the department said in a statement.
Information regarding how the victim was killed and a possible motive were not immediately available.
Lykins was arrested on suspicion of murder and held on $2 million bond. He is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday.
It was not immediately clear whether he has an attorney.
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Investigators have not located Auer. He was likely killed in the early hours of Sunday morning, according to the sheriff's department.
Anyone with information was asked to call 805-384-4761.
Lykins' pickup was described as a silver Nissan Frontier with California license plate 39077S1.
