Estranged Pleasanton Couple Found Dead In Apparent Murder-Suicide

PLEASANTON, CA —A separated couple who used to live in Pleasanton were found dead in a casino near the Mexican border in an apparent murder-suicide, the San Diego Police Department announced Thursday.

Melissa and Johnny Soto lived in Pleasanton until about five years ago when they relocated to the San Diego area, according to a Pleasanton Weekly report. On Dec. 20, their three children reported them missing. On Tuesday, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol located a vehicle related to the missing persons case in the parking lot of the Golden Acorn Casino in Campo, California. Inside the car were Melissa, 45, and Johnny, 52, both dead.

Investigators from the San Diego Police Department said a preliminary investigation shows that Johnny is dead of what they believe to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. A preliminary investigation shows that Melissa died of strangulation.

“Her death has confirmed to be a homicide with her husband as the lone suspect in what appears to be a tragic case of domestic violence,” SDPD Lt. Steve Shebloski said in a news release.

The couple separated in July after more than 20 years of marriage, according to an NBC7 report. They left Dec. 20 for unknown reasons, relatives told NBC.

“It felt like a normal night,” said Vincent Soto, their son. “He was just sitting here watching TV like he always does. And my parents, they always talk. He asked me, ‘Hey, Vinny, can you leave for a minute? We're going to talk.’ So I left the house, not assuming anything.”

The children called the police the following morning, when they still hadn’t returned.

Vincent’s aunt, Christina Sandoval, told NBC7 that the couple left without packing clothes. Melissa also left her phone, keys, and wallet in their San Ysidro home. Vincent’s phone was turned off about 20 minutes after he left, Sandoval reported.

Johnny’s sister Christina set up a GoFundMe to help support the children. “It is not like either one of them just to leave and not communicate with their 3 kids, Alexia, Vincent and Elise,” she wrote. “The kids are home alone and are very scared, we are all taking turns to spend time with them and help them through this very difficult and scary situation. Alexia and Vincent very young adults out of high school and Elise is still a teenager. They need help for groceries and any bills that may come up. They have a puppy they are caring for on top of caring for themselves.”

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the SDPD Homicide Unit at 619-531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233,) visit thehotline.org, or text LOVEIS to 22522. All calls and texts are toll-free and confidential.

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