Mom Of 'Sandlot' Actor Found Dead In NorCal Home, Boyfriend In Custody

DEL NORTE COUNTY, CA — Northern California authorities have arrested a man in connection with the death of the mother of "The Sandlot" actor Marty York, who was found dead in her Del Norte County home Thursday, according to authorities.

Police found Deanna Esmaeel's body inside her home on North Bank Road in Crescent City on Thursday morning, the Del Norte County Sheriff's Office said in a social media post. Esmaeel was also a deputy with the Del Norte County Sheriff's Office, authorities confirmed.

Authorities issued an arrest warrant for Esmaeel's boyfriend, 54-year-old Daniel James Walter, who was detained Friday night in Curry County, Oregon, following a search, police said. Walter also went by Edward Patrick Davies after legally changing his name in July, according to authorities.

“This is the hardest post I’ll ever have to write but I found out from the sheriff department last night that my mother was murdered by a man she was seeing,” York wrote on Instagram on Friday under a photo of him and Esmaeel. “The emotions I have are horrible right now between rage, vengeance, crying.”

York is best known for playing Alan "Yeah-Yeah" McClennan in the coming-of-age baseball movie "The Sandlot." He also made appearances in "Boy Meets World" and "Saved By The Bell: The College Years."

Police did not release Esmaeel's cause of death or comment on a possible motive.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Del Norte County Sheriff Garrett Scott said Walter was arrested near a homeless encampment along the Chetco River in Oregon. He will be extradited to California, and murder charges are expected to be filed next week, Scott told the newspaper.

Esmaeel worked as a courthouse bailiff and joined the Del Norte County Sheriff's Office about three years ago, according to the LA Times. Scott told the publication she and Walter had been living together when she was killed.

"We are all deeply heartbroken with the loss of Deputy Esmaeel," Scott said in a statement. "Our hearts and prayers go out to her family, friends, and co-workers."