Santa Rosa Father, 2 Young Children Found Dead; Murder-Suicide Suspected, Police Say

SONOMA COUNTY, CA -- The bodies of a 40-year-old Santa Rosa man and his two young children were found Monday morning inside the man's home, where authorities had gone to conduct a welfare check in connection with an ongoing child custody investigation, the Santa Rosa Police Department reported Monday afternoon.

The bodies were discovered sometime before 10 a.m. at a home in the 700 block of Slater Street, where the man, whose identity was not disclosed, was found hanging in a bedroom with his two children nearby, according to a statement from Santa Rosa police Lt. John Cregan.

"This case appears to be a murder/suicide where the father killed both of his young children and then committed suicide," Cregan said.

According to the lieutenant, the Santa Rosa Police Department was summoned to the scene at 9:53 a.m. Monday by the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department regarding the "discovery of multiple deaths" in the home.

Sonoma sheriff's deputies were reportedly at the residence because they were investigating an alleged child custody violation that originated in the sheriff’s jurisdiction.

"The dispute involved a husband and a wife, regarding their two children; a 6-year-old female and an 18-month-old male infant," Cregan said.

The lieutenant said the father had custody of the children on Father's Day Sunday and was to return them to their mother -- a resident of unincorporated Sonoma County southwest of Santa Rosa -- that evening. The mother went to look for the children at the Slater Street residence Sunday evening but they were not there, Cregan said.

She notified the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office Sunday night and deputies had "made multiple attempts to contact the father and check the welfare of the two children," Cregan said.

Monday morning, as deputies eventually entered the residence, they discovered the bodies.

Authorities are conducting autopsies to determine the cause of death of the young girl and her baby brother.

"The names of the deceased will not be released at this time," Cregan said. "The father was identified as a 40-year-old Santa Rosa resident."

The investigation of the suspected double-murder suicide is ongoing; Santa Rosa police and Sonoma sheriff's officials are working together to determine "what occurred," Cregan said.

The couple was married but separated, and authorities are investigating whether there were any prior calls for service at the man's Slater Street home, Cregan said.

Anyone with information regarding the investigation was encouraged to call Sgt. Josh Ludtke of the Santa Rosa Police Department Violent Crime Investigation Team at 707-543-3695.

Bay City News Service contributed to this report.

Patch file photo/Renee Schiavone