A man and woman accused of killing an octogenarian by burning down her home in Bloomington, Indiana were arrested in the Coachella Valley and are being held without bail while awaiting extradition, local sheriff’s officials said Thursday.
Noel Montes Cazares, 48, was arrested April 5 in Palm Desert by deputies who pulled him over on Fred Waring Drive, near Painters Path. Investigators in Indiana had notified local authorities of “a murder suspect who had fled Indiana and was in Palm Desert,” according to a sheriff’s statement.
Misty Lou Allen, 44, identified in media reports as Cazares’ girlfriend, was arrested around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday in the 78100 block of Highway 111 in Rancho Mirage. Sheriff’s deputies reported that she had an outstanding arrest warrant on conspiracy to commit murder and obstruction of justice charges out of Monroe County, Indiana.
The pair are accused in the Feb. 10 death of 85-year-old former Palm Desert resident Lerae Bush. In January 2017, while still living in the Coachella Valley, she went missing for about five hours, prompting the sheriff’s department to ask for help in locating her.
Bush’s connection to Cazares or Allen was unclear, but media reports out of Indiana cite court document alleging that Cazares was posing as Bush’s son, “Giovanni Bush,” and that the motive for her killing may have been related to a prospective inheritance.
Cazares appeared in a Riverside courtroom last Friday and waived extradition, and Allen did the same Thursday morning, according to court records. Hearings are set for later this month to verify whether the suspects are retrieved by out-of-state authorities.
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