Overview
- Investigators arrested 43-year-old James Landi on December 5 in San Mateo and booked him on a murder charge in the 2004 death of 18-year-old Reynaldo Burts.
- The Riverside County District Attorney's Gang Impact Team assisted in locating Landi, who was taken into custody without incident.
- Burts' remains were found on March 21, 2004 near Southfork Trail and Highway 74 in the San Jacinto Mountains, and deputies noted signs of obvious trauma.
- Landi had previously been identified as a person of interest, but the case went cold until new leads emerged during the department's August 2025 cold-case review.
- Authorities say the investigation is ongoing, Landi is being held without bail, and he is scheduled to appear at the Murrieta Southwest Justice Center on Wednesday.