Colton police review new leads in 4-year-old's death from 2010 and connection to local religious group

Colton police are reviewing new leads in the investigation surrounding a 4-year-old boy who died 15 years ago and the connection to a small local church, a commonality among a series of recent investigations.

Timothy Thomas, 4, died in January 2010 after his parents placed him in the temporary custody of Darryl Muzic Martin and Shelly Bailey "Kat" Martin, the leaders of an Inland Empire-based religious group called "His Way Spirit Led Assemblies," according to the Colton Police Department. 

At the time of the child's death, police alleged the death was due to child neglect, but no one was ever charged. The death was ruled natural as a result of an appendicitis rupture.

Detectives recently reopened the case, nearly 15 years later, after troubling new leads and connections to other alleged crimes linked to the same church were uncovered.

Redlands Spokesperson Carl Baker said they have been investigating the church after the mysterious disappearances of two former church members  

The Redlands Police Department arrested the leaders of His Way Spirit Led Assemblies last week amid its investigation into the disappearance of 40-year-old Emilio Salem Ghanem, who went missing shortly after leaving the organization. Ghanem, of Nashville, was last seen at a Redlands coffee shop more than two years ago. 

They arrested Martin, 57, on illegal weapons charges, and they also arrested his wife, 62-year-old "Kat,"  who was released shortly after she was taken into custody following a medical episode, police said. 

Redlands police also served a search warrant at a Hemet home used by the religious organization earlier in August. Detectives said they recovered evidence related to their investigation and arrested two individuals on unrelated charges. 

The agency has also been coordinating with the Claremont Police Department after learning that another member of His Way Spirit Led Assemblies was reported missing in 2019. 

Ruben Moreno, 41, was last seen in December 2017 at a home he shared with other members of the religious organization in the 3900 block of Swarthmore Court, according to the Claremont Police Department. Moreno's family reported him missing in August 2019. Moreno's brother was one of the two people arrested earlier, but was later released.

"We are aware of public interest in possible connections between this case and a separate missing persons investigation out of Redlands," Claremont PD said in a press release. "At this time, the only similarity between the two cases are the individuals' ties to His Way Spirit Led Assemblies."