On the 10-year anniversary of Arnold Ikeda’s death, the Ventura Police Department announced his 2016 homicide case has been closed by exception following a renewed cold case investigation.
Ikeda was found unresponsive with a gunshot wound at his home on South Evergreen Drive on March 20, 2016. Despite years of investigative work—including witness interviews, forensic testing, and review of phone and video records—detectives were unable to gather enough evidence to file charges.
Investigators identified Johnny Caro, also known as “Lieutenant” or “Lou,” as the primary suspect. Caro, who had been in contact with Ikeda the morning of the हत्या, was never charged due to insufficient evidence. He was later killed in 2021 in Desert Hot Springs; that case remains unsolved.
In 2025, the Ventura County Cold Case Homicide Unit conducted a comprehensive review, reexamining all evidence and conducting new interviews. Investigators concluded that the totality of the evidence implicates Caro as the sole suspect.
With the suspect deceased and no evidence of additional involvement, the case has now been officially closed by exception.
“This case has never been forgotten,” said Ventura Police Investigations Commander Ryan Weeks. “While it will not proceed through the criminal justice system, we hope these findings provide some long-awaited answers for the family.”
The Ventura Police Department continues to seek information on its remaining unsolved cases and encourages the public to visit its Cold Case Investigations webpage.
