A California senior citizen community has been rocked after four people were discovered dead in a “multi-victim homocide” on one of its properties.
The four victims, all of whom had been shot, were identified Thursday as a 33-year-old woman, a 28-year-old man, and a man and woman aged 67, according to a Santa Rosa Police Department statement. Police have not revealed their identities or relationships.
The bodies were discovered at a home after Santa Rosa officials received a concerned call from one of the occupants’ boyfriends on Wednesday afternoon, requesting a welfare check.
He informed police that he had not heard from his girlfriend, one of the residents, in several days. When police arrived, they forced their way into the house through a window.
According to police, all four are believed to be family members who were discovered with “significant gunshot wounds” in various rooms of a home on Monarch Court, part of the Valle Vista senior subdivision. They were all pronounced dead on the scene.
Local outlet According to the Press Democrat, the victims are believed to be a mother, two adult children, and a fourth person.
According to Valle Vista Management Association President Karen Squaglia, they live a “quiet life,” and the mother was granted special permission to have her disabled children live with her.
Police confirmed to The Independent that they were awaiting a formal identification following the coroner’s autopsies on Friday.
Sonoma County Animal Services recovered five unharmed pets from the crime scene on Wednesday, including two Chihuahuas, a rat terrier, and two cats.
Neighbors told The Press Democrat that the trash had not been taken out on Monday night, raising suspicions.
Sgt. Brandon Matthies told the outlet, “Living in a senior community, you sometimes get this false sense of security that these types of things don’t happen here.”
“It’s just another reminder of the harsh reality of our current world. “Nobody is exempt,” Matthies continued.
Detectives from the SRPD Violent Crime Team said they searched a home in San Jose’s Buena Crest Court that was connected to one of the occupants.
According to the Santa Rosa Police Department’s statement, the SRPD Violent Crimes Team is currently investigating the motive and circumstances of the shooting.
We continue to believe there is no threat to the public. The investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information should contact the SRPD Violent Crime Team at 707-543-3590.”