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Police identify men found dead in H.B. park

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One of two dead men found Tuesday in Bartlett Park in Huntington Beach has been confirmed to be Abraham Felmley, 32, who was wanted in connection with a double arson homicide near Sacramento and a carjacking in Merced, according to the Orange County Coroners office.

Authorities also identified Robert Andres Duran, 49, of Huntington Beach, as the second man found in the park, according to Lt. Mitch O’Brien.

Police are calling Tuesday evening’s incident as an apparent murder-suicide, O’Brien wrote in an email.

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As of Wednesday, O’Brien did not know the relationship between Felmley and Duran, and the motive behind the shooting is still under investigation.

At about 12:51 p.m. a caller reported seeing what appeared to be two bodies in the park.

The bodies were found in the bushes where police also recovered a weapon, according to Huntington Beach Police Lt. Mitch O’Brien.

According to Sacramento County police, Felmley allegedly killed two relatives Monday morning in the arson blaze, said Sgt. Jason Ramos of the Sacramento Sheriff’s Department.

Felmley is suspected of sparking the fire that killed two men, one in his 80s and the other in his 60s, authorities said.

The bodies of the Sacramento County victims were found about 11 a.m. after firefighters had knocked down the blaze, according to Ramos.

The man in his 80s was identified as Felmley’s grandfather and the man in his 60s as his uncle, Ramos said.

Authorities said Felmley fled in a truck stolen from the home and about four hours after the fire carjacked a man who was fishing in Merced and was not harmed.

Ramos said they found the stolen green 1992 Toyota Camry near the scene on Beach Boulevard.

Detectives in Sacramento County pieced together evidence from the two crimes and put out an alert for Felmley.

“He was in the wind. We were looking for him,” Ramos told The Los Angeles Times. “We named him as a suspect.”

Ramos said Felmley, who had relatives in Southern California, was believed to have received injuries in the arson fire, and investigators were waiting for the Orange County coroner’s office to determine a cause of death.

There were no immediate details on the other body.

Bartlett Park is bordered by Beach Boulevard, Coldwater Lane, Yorktown Avenue and Adams Avenue. Police say the area is heavily covered with trees and brush.

Detectives are conducting an investigation.

Huntington Beach resident Cindy Holthouser said the park is known as a hotspot for trouble. She said when she heard the news she was afraid it could be her nephew, who is homeless, but said authorities confirmed it wasn’t him.

“It’s a hangout spot for the kids and the homeless,” she said. “There is a lot of fighting going on and loud noise.”

Matt Kielsmeier said he has lived in the area all his life and has seen fights at the park and two or three fires over the past two years.

“It’s not a community-type of park,” he said.

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