The following is a press released issued by the Solano County Sheriff’s Office. The information has not been proven in a court of law and any individuals described should be presumed innocent until proven guilty:
An 8-month long criminal investigation between the Solano County Sheriff’s Office and Cal-Fire has concluded that the source of the 2020 Markley Fire was arson, and the two resulting Solano County deaths from that fire are now considered homicides.
The Markley Fire started on August 18th, 2020 in the Stebbins-Cold Canyon area and merged with the Hennessey Fire which was later included in the overall LNU Lightning Complex. Two fire victims were discovered deceased in their homes in unincorporated Solano County as a result of the fire: 82-year old Douglas Mai, in the 7400 block of Pleasant’s Valley Road; and 64-year old Leon “James” Bone, in the 7800 block of English Hills Road. Additionally, the body of missing person Priscilla Castro was discovered in the Stebbins-Cold Canyon area resulting in the arrest of Victor Serriteno by the Vacaville Police Department in mid-September of 2020. Serriteno was charged with murder and has been in custody since his arrest.
Based on the extensive investigation, we believe Serriteno deliberately set the Markley Fire in an attempt to conceal his crime. Earlier this morning, Sheriff’s Detectives arrested Serriteno for additional charges including murder and arson.
Our continued condolences go out to the families affected by these crimes and we hope that this arrest can provide some degree of solace. We also want to thank our public safety partners as this arrest would not have been possible without the cooperation of Cal-Fire and the Vacaville Police Department.
Attached to this press release is a map indicating the boundaries of the fires and locations of each of the recovered victims. Many other fire victims may be wondering how this could affect them or their claims. The current recovery effort is not in any way affected by this announcement. Solano County, State and FEMA recovery efforts will continue unchanged until completion. You are welcome to contact your insurance company if you have questions about your claim. If you are getting assistance from FEMA, you can call the FEMA helpline at 1-800-621-3362. If you are receiving additional assistance, you are welcome to contact those programs individually. Though again, this investigation and arrest will have no impact on insurance claims or fire recovery assistance programs.
