LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – More than a year after a Santa Clarita man was found shot to death in his van along Highway 20, the California Highway Patrol said its investigators are continuing their work to solve the murder.

On Thursday, the CHP’s Clear Lake Area office issued a brief update on its continuing investigation into the homicide of 41-year-old Patrick Michael Weber.

Weber was found dead in the driver’s seat of his sprinter van in the area of Highway 20 and Walker Ridge Road east of Clearlake Oaks on the morning of Feb. 21, 2019.

The CHP said its officers responded to the area of Highway 20 at milepost marker 41 on a reported fatal traffic collision.

A passing motorist reported seeing the van crashed off the south edge of the highway. The CHP said the van had been traveling eastbound when it went off the road.

The CHP said Weber had been in the vehicle when it crashed because he had seat belt marks on his body.

“As the investigation progressed, the officers on the scene became suspicious of the circumstances surrounding the collision and requested CHP’s investigation unit respond,” the CHP said in its Thursday update.

On the same day as Weber was found, an autopsy – conducted as soon as possible at the request of the CHP – concluded that Weber had died of a gunshot wound, leading to investigators’ determination that Weber’s death was a homicide.

Investigating officers found a large amount of marijuana in the van. The California Department of Cannabis Control told the CHP that Weber was not legally licensed to transport marijuana.

In a February 2019 interview, Weber’s wife told Lake County News that he was involved in the cannabis industry. He had gone on a trim run through Northern California, leaving a few days before.

The CHP said an in-depth investigation into Weber’s murder has ensued, spanning California and into nearby states.

In June, the CHP released surveillance pictures of a person of interest they wanted to talk to, as Lake County News has reported. Investigators have not disclosed if they spoke to the man.

The CHP said its investigators continue to actively and aggressively investigate Weber’s homicide as additional information and leads are developed.

The agency also thanked the public as well as the numerous allied law enforcement agencies throughout California for the assistance they have provided during the investigation.

Anyone with information about the case should contact the CHP’s Ukiah Communications Center at 707-467-4000, 24 hours a day.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.