Dateline: Secrets Uncovered - How did farmworker Roberto Ayala die?

A deadly explosion in a Colusa County ricefield killed farmworker Roberto Ayala, 43, in July 2011. His seven-year-old son witnessed the incident and ran miles to find assistance but to no avail. The explosion, which initially seemed accidental, was triggered after Ayala turned on an irrigation pump and the panel exploded. He died at the scene of multiple shrapnel injuries and high-voltage electrocution.

Later information revealed that the explosion at the farm owned by the Moore Brothers wasn't merely an accident. Nearly a month after the incident, authorities received anonymous letters in which the sender claimed responsibility for the explosion. Paul Moore was then linked to the letters and the crime scene and was eventually convicted in a case that stemmed from a business-related family feud.

Dateline: Secrets Uncovered examines Roberto Ayala's death in an episode titled Family Business. The synopsis states:

"Investigating whether an explosion in a rice field in Colusa County, California that killed farm manager Roberto Ayala is an accident or murder."

The upcoming episode will air on Oxygen this Thursday, April 27, at 9:00 pm ET.

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Roberto Ayala's son witnessed his death in a rice field explosion, which initially seemed like an accident

On July 16, 2011, Roberto Ayala, 43, drove to one of the Moore brothers' rice fields in Colusa County, California, to fix the irrigation pump after picking up his seven-year-old son and buying him lunch. Soon after, his son heard a massive explosion and then spotted his father on fire. The boy ran for about two miles through the rice fields to get help but it was in vain.

Ayala accidentally set off an explosive device at chest level, which killed him right at the scene. Firefighters arrived to find the farmworker's body ablaze. Metal pieces had punctured his chest, neck, and brain. He first sustained piercing shrapnel and fragmented injuries before suffering from fire-related injuries. An autopsy determined he died of explosive shrapnel injuries and high-voltage electrocution.

At first, the fire department and law enforcement were unaware that a bomb had been intentionally hidden in the irrigation pump. Their investigation was to conclude whether the explosion was an accident or not.

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Ayala's death occurred while he was embroiled in the Moore family's internal conflict

Roberto Ayala's death occurred while he was in the middle of a major family feud and conflict between the two primary players, namely Peter and Paul Moore, in this tragic narrative. Both were cousins whose dads were the sons of Richard and "Mimi" Moore, owners of a 1,800-acre property near Colusa.

Reports state that both brothers were unhappy with their respective standings in the family's hierarchy, especially Peter, who wasn't allowed to farm and earned a living in the landscape business for 21 years. He often-times threatened to physically harm multiple people, including his father, uncle, and Ayala.

Paul, on the other hand, believed he was mistreated growing up on the farm and that employees like Ayala and his brother Eduardo were given liberties he never got to enjoy. He felt he was treated worse than the employees, and despite working harder, he was never offered a raise. Among other things in common, both brothers shared an animosity towards the victim.

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Letters sent to authorities were used to implicate Paul Moore in the explosion and Roberto Ayala's death

During the investigation into Roberto Ayala's death, authorities received two anonymous letters in which the sender claimed responsibility for the explosion that killed the 43-year-old farmworker. The second letter had a diagram of the bomb. Investigators kept looking for potential suspects and at every step, evidence found led them to Paul Moore.

In December 2011, authorities conducted a search of Paul's home and found incriminating evidence on his electronic devices, including stamps used in the letters and a similar diagram that matched the one of the bomb in the letter sent to the police, among other evidence that connected him to both the letters and items found at the crime scene. He was arrested and charged with murder.

Paul Moore was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in a 2013 trial.

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Oxygen's Dateline: Secrets Uncovered will further delve into Roberto Ayala's murder this Thursday.