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Frederick Gaestel, 27, of Clfton and 24-year-old Zachary Ryan Wuester of Haskell were among several people who went to a remote, rural property five miles off North Highway 101 in Laytonville, CA before dawn Thursday to rob the commercial business owner, Jeffrey Quinn Settler, according to the Mendocino County Sheriff's Department.
They'd worked there for Settler, 35, as marijuana trimmers and "knew the marijuana was stored in the same structure where Settler slept," Detective Sgt. Andrew Porter said.
They beat him to death, took 100 pounds of processed marijuana and fled, he said.
Detectives found "no evidence or inference" that the marijuana-growing operation about 160 miles north of San Franciscos was for medical purposes but, instead, was intended "solely for the purpose of commercial gain," Porter said.
Recods show Gaestel was busted in 2009 with 37 other defendants after authorities found 53,270 pot plants, records show.
If you see either Gaestel or Wuester, dial 911 immediately. Do not confront them yourself.
If you have information that could help find them, call your local police main number.
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