Man Kills Two Children, and then Himself on Outskirts of Ukiah

Update #2

The deaths of three people near Ukiah earlier today appear to be a double homicide and suicide, the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office said in a phone interview this evening with Redheaded Blackbelt.

The Sheriff’s Office spokesperson, Captain Quincy Cromer confirmed that two juveniles and one adult man have died. After the initial investigation, it appears the man killed the two juveniles and then himself, Cromer said.

There is no known motive at this time, he said. Detectives are still investigating.

The Sheriff’s Office has not released names or ages. It has not said how the three were related or how they died.

How the morning unfolded

Much of this timeline comes from emergency radio traffic. The Sheriff’s Office has not confirmed every detail.

A request for a welfare check at a home on Old River Road came in at about 9:53 a.m., a dispatcher said on the radio. A short while later around 10:19 a.m., a request for medical aid was made requesting medics near 6800 block of Old River Road, south of Talmage. Within minutes, dispatch relayed the reporting party stated that children at the home had blood on them. A caller then reported that a man there was dead.

People at the scene put the two children in a pickup and headed for the hospital in Ukiah. Sheriff Matt Kendall described them as good Samaritans.

They did not make it that far. First responders met the truck in front of the Mendocino County Office of Education at 2240 Old River Road, and medics began CPR on both children.

Deputies went on to the home. They confirmed one adult dead there at about 10:37 a.m.

Medics kept working on the children for more than 30 minutes. They were pronounced dead at about 11:08 a.m., according to radio traffic.

“Heavy for a while”

Chaplains were called to the scene at about 10:53 a.m.

Asked who they were for, Kendall said, “First responders and family. We always call the chaplain on horrific events.”

Two ambulance crews were taken out of service for a time after the call, according to radio traffic.

Cromer called it a very difficult incident for everyone involved.

“It’s going to be heavy for a while,” he told Redheaded Blackbelt this evening.

This is a developing story. We will update when the Sheriff’s Office releases more information.

If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

Update #1:

Mendocino County Sheriff Matt Kendall confirmed early Friday afternoon that investigators are looking into three deaths following a series of emergency responses in the Ukiah area earlier today. He emphasized that authorities have not yet determined the circumstances surrounding the deaths but that there is no known continuing threat to the public.

“I can tell you that we are investigating three deaths,” Kendall told Redheaded Blackbelt’s Lisa Music in an interview that also included Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Captain Quincy Cromer. “I’m not going to call anything homicides, suicides, or anything else, and we aren’t going to give much confirmation until we get further into it.”

Kendall refused to elaborate on the ages of those involved. “Not giving any ages at this point,” he said, “until such time that we can actually run all of that down.”

Kendall said investigators have a preliminary understanding of what occurred, but cautioned that the information could change as the investigation progresses.

“Currently, we see no outstanding threats to the public,” Kendall said, adding that authorities are not searching for any outstanding individuals believed to be involved in the incident.

The sheriff also clarified confusion surrounding the Mendocino County Office of Education (MCOE), where emergency personnel were reported performing CPR on two children earlier this morning.

Music asked whether the children had been brought to the MCOE location for emergency assistance rather than being injured there. Kendall confirmed that understanding.

“Good Samaritans were assisting, and they encountered the ambulance there,” Kendall explained.

He emphasized that the education facility itself had not been targeted. The emergency response at that location has concluded, and Kendall said there are no further disruptions to the facility.

The sheriff also addressed reports circulating from emergency radio traffic that a person with a firearm had been involved.

“We have absolutely nothing that leads us to believe a firearm was involved in this,” Kendall said, emphasizing that this assessment reflects the current stage of the investigation.

Kendall suggested that radio traffic from separate calls may have contributed to confusion about a possible armed individual. He also noted that plainclothes deputies had been working in the area and could potentially have been mistaken for someone else.

The sheriff confirmed that a chaplain had been requested to assist both first responders and family members. “We always call the chaplain on horrific events,” he said.

Despite the significant emergency response, Kendall said roads in the area remain open and traffic is moving normally.

Cromer indicated that the Sheriff’s Office hopes to release a preliminary account of the incident over the weekend, possibly Saturday or Sunday. That initial release is not expected to include the victims’ names.

The identities of the deceased, their ages, their relationships to one another, and the causes and manners of death have not yet been officially released.

Original story.

Multiple people are reportedly dead following a series of serious incidents Friday morning, October 9, in the Ukiah area. Mendocino County Sheriff’s deputies are responding to what appears to be a complex investigation involving potentially multiple crime scenes.

The incident that was first reported came in at approximately 10:20 a.m. in the area of 6800 Old River Road. Emergency radio traffic indicates that law enforcement and medical personnel responded to reports of multiple injured people, including children.

Scanner traffic indicated that CPR was underway on some subjects. Two children were being transported to the hospital from the original scene towards a hospital by a private person.

Emergency personnel met the vehicle and began performing CPR on two children.

At approximately 10:35 a.m., radio traffic indicated one person was deceased at a residence. The location of the residence was not specified.

There were two pediatric patients at the Mendocino Office of Education with CPR performed about 10:40 a.m. It's unclear if these are the same two children.

By 10:45 a.m., emergency personnel were discussing another fatality in the 6800 block of Old River Road. The helicopters were subsequently canceled.

At approximately 10:55 a.m., radio traffic indicated that a person reportedly associated with a firearm was no longer outstanding and that a firearm had been secured. Authorities had earlier conducted a protective sweep of a residence.

Additional radio traffic suggests investigators may be dealing with multiple crime scenes. The full extent of the incident, the number of victims, and the circumstances surrounding the violence have not yet been officially confirmed. But at least two children needed CPR.

Mendocino County Sheriff Matt Kendall confirmed that he was traveling to the scene and that a captain, lieutenant, and detectives were responding. He said he would provide additional information when it became available.

Authorities have not yet publicly confirmed the number of fatalities or identified any victims or suspects.