Third arrest made in investigation into Covelo woman’s death

MENDOCINO CO., 7/24/26 — A third suspect was arrested Thursday in the investigation into the homicide of a Covelo woman, and Mendocino County sheriff’s investigators are looking to arrest a juvenile believed to be involved, the Sheriff’s Office said Friday. 

The death of Josepha Littlewolf Basurto, 31, was ruled a homicide after an autopsy last week determined she died of a gunshot wound to the torso, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Basurto was found dead on July 9 at an illegal marijuana cultivation site in a truck that had been shot several times, the Sheriff’s Office said.