Martin Ehrke, 49, was charged with two counts of murder on Thursday in California

A rural almond orchard in northern California has become the scene of a shocking double murder, with one body found in a freezer and another in a pond.

Martin Christian Ehrke, 49, was charged with two counts of murder on Thursday, after deputies discovered the two women's bodies on the orchard in Arbuckle, a farming community of 3,500 about 50 miles northwest of Sacramento.

The murder victims were identified as Kimberly Lynn Taylor, 39, and Jessica Lynn Mazak, 25, who both lived on the property with others, police said.

Lt. Mark Contreras told PEOPLE the women had no relationship had no relationship to the property owner - Ehrke's mother.

He also said the victims were known to be staying at the residence 'on and off'.

Police responded to a call of suspicious activity from one of the victim's roommates at the almond grove at around 3.55am on Thursday and found a gruesome scene.

Blood splatter appeared to cover the walls of a residence on the property.

The murder victims were identified as Kimberly Lynn Taylor, 39, (left) and Jessica Lynn Mazak, 25, (right) who both lived on the property

Ehrke studied agriculture and is self-employed. His Facebook posts from the past year show a fascination with Native American culture and UFO conspiracy theories

An aerial view of the almond orchard shows several buildings and a large pond

Inside the bedroom of an attached residence, investigators found a chest freezer. Opening it, they discovered the body of 39-year-old Taylor stuffed inside.

A witness told police that a second woman was missing from the property, and police secured a search warrant and called in dive teams.

Divers with the Colusa County Sheriff’s Office searched a large pond on the property. Submerged beneath the water they found the body of 25-year-old Mazak.

Both Taylor and Mazak were known to reside on the property, but had no relationship to the property owner.

Their causes of death are still pending a coroner's investigation, but police believe they both died within 24 hours of their bodies being found.

In the course of searching the almond orchard, investigators also said they found an illegal marijuana grow and narcotics.

Ehrke wasn't on the property at the time of the search, and acting on a tip police tried to track him down.

Ehrke checked into a local hospital with blood on his clothes on Wednesday night

The entrance to the almond orchard where the bodies were found is seen above

Ehrke is pictured during an appearance at Colusa County Superior Court on Friday for his arraignment

Investigators discovered that he'd left the orchard late on Wednesday night, and had checked into the Colusa Medical Center for an unknown reason.

Local reports indicate a friend dropped off Ehrke at the hospital covered in blood, but he was released from the hospital by the time deputies arrived.

Investigators tracked Ehrke to a residence in Colusa County, where he was detained for questioning.

Ehrke was then charged with two counts of homicide and booked into the Colusa County Jail.

No motive in the murders had been announced.

Ehrke studied agriculture and is self-employed, according to his Facebook profile.

His posts from the past year show a fascination with Native American culture and UFO conspiracy theories.

One of his final posts from early Wednesday morning read: 'THE SKY IS FASLLING ! THE SKY IS FALLING ! DID ANYONE SEE HOW CLOSE VTHE MOON IS ?'