Sheriff: Father killed his two children, then himself, at home near Ukiah

UKIAH — A 44-year-old man fatally harmed his two children before taking his own life Friday morning at a home on Old River Road south of Ukiah, according to the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office.

The children, siblings ages 14 and 7, were a girl and a boy. Authorities are withholding their names because of their ages. The father’s name will be released after his legal next of kin is notified and an autopsy is completed.

The sheriff’s office received a 911 call transferred from the California Highway Patrol at about 10:19 a.m. Friday, reporting an unknown emergency at a residence in the 6800 block of Old River Road. The caller said two children at the home needed emergency medical help.

People at the property put the children in a vehicle and drove north on Old River Road to meet emergency crews, the sheriff’s office said. They met paramedics near the Mendocino County Office of Education, just south of Talmage Road, where first responders found both children unresponsive and without a pulse. Crews performed CPR and other advanced life-saving measures, but both children were declared dead.

Deputies who went to the home found the father dead at the property.

Sheriff’s detectives, who had already responded to both locations, took over the investigation. They obtained a search warrant for the home, processed the scene, and interviewed family members, witnesses and others involved.

Investigators said evidence and interviews so far indicate the man was alone with two of his children at the home Friday morning, killed them, and then died by suicide. The sheriff’s office has not released a possible motive.

Authorities said everyone believed to be involved has been contacted, there are no outstanding suspects, and there is no ongoing threat to the public.

Sheriff’s chaplains responded to support the family and first responders.

Autopsies are being scheduled for all three, and the official causes and manners of death have not been determined. The sheriff’s office said it will release more information once the pathologist finishes the coroner’s reports.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office at 707-463-4086, option 1, or leave an anonymous tip at 707-234-2100.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, available 24 hours a day.