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In an Aug. 21 news conference on the 2021 murder of Adolfo Davila Jr., Beatrice Soto, Davila’s aunt, said the family will double the FBI’s existing reward to $50,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Davila’s alleged killer, Alfredo Antonio Arredondo.
“We had already mentioned it to the FBI,” Soto told BenitoLink. “They didn’t want me to say anything. But we had already talked about it as a family, and we are willing to do whatever it takes to catch him.”
Arredondo, accompanied by his girlfriend Rebecca Nunez, allegedly shot and killed Davila on April 4, 2021, following an argument. After being captured in Modesto in 2023, Nunez was tried as an accessory and sentenced to four years in prison. Arredondo remains at large and, according to San Benito County Sheriff Eric Taylor, is considered armed and dangerous.
The news conference was held by the Sheriff’s Department. Speakers included Taylor, FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Dan Costin, and Davila’s mother, Yolanda Beltran. About a dozen members of Davila’s family were also present, wearing T-shirts bearing the victim’s portrait.
According to Costin, the renewed push to publicize the case is part of Operation Summer Heat, a nationwide initiative targeting violent criminals. He said that Arredondo is one of the FBI San Francisco office’s most wanted fugitives and is believed to have fled to Mexico, though he has ties to Merced, Modesto and Hollister.
Multiple federal agencies, Costin said, have personnel in Mexico City and throughout the country who work with local authorities to locate and identify fugitives.
According to Taylor, some of the leads have come from those who were close to Arredondo, but authorities believe his family has been actively assisting him.
“I don’t think that we have any doubt about that,” Taylor said.
Following her son’s murder, as a way to remember him, Beltran raised money to donate to those in need. It was a way of acknowledging what his age would have been at the time—28, in 2021—when she handed out 28 envelopes to people around town, each containing $28.
“Besides the money,” she said, ”there was a card with his picture and a pretty saying. I would tell them, ‘This is in memory of my son. Go have a free lunch or dinner.’ I wanted people to know who he was.”
She has continued this tradition on his birthday each year. She also held “Blessings on Blessings” 50/50 football pools to raise money for those in need, donating 100% of the money.
Recently, with help from family member Vanessa Salinas, she launched the Blessings on Blessings Foundation to expand her charitable efforts. Those in need can apply on the site for a financial “blessing” from the foundation.
On Aug. 14, which would have been Davila’s 33rd birthday, the foundation held its first fundraising dinner at Grillin & Chillin Alehouse in Hollister. All food was donated to the foundation and Alehouse owner Chuck Frowein also donated his space and staff time.
The event raised $7,800 to support Erica Salinas, a young Hollister resident who was recently injured in an auto accident and suffered injuries that have left her confined to a wheelchair.
“They are really trying to do things to help people in need in the community,” Frowein said. “I understand what the medical bills are like, especially for a young person just starting out, and I wanted to help.”
Though Taylor said the Sheriff’s Department has relatively limited resources, with the help of state, federal and international partners, its reach “goes as far as necessary to bring justice and closure to our victim and his family.”
“A statute of limitations on murder doesn’t exist,” he said. “So Arredondo can spend every single day looking over his shoulder. And to those who have helped him evade capture, we have space in our jail, and we will come for you.”
Taylor said any information about Arredondo’s whereabouts should be reported to the Sheriff’s Office (831-636-4080), to the FBI (800-225-5324), or online at tips.fbi.gov. Tips can be left anonymously.
Adolfo Davila Jr. Courtesy of Vanessa Salinas. 
Family and friends of Adolfo Davila Jr. Photo by Robert Eliason. 
Adolfo Davila Jr. with son Ryker. Courtesy of Vanessa Salinas. 
Andrew Davila and Rita Casarez arranging a memorial table at the press conference. Photo by Robert Eliason. 
Card handed out on Adolfo Davila Jr.’s 31st birthday. Courtesy of Yolanda “Mona” Beltran. 
Yolanda “Mona” Beltran at press conference. Photo by Robert Eliason.
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