Mother, Daughter May Have Been Dead For A Week

"SANTA ROSA, CA - The bodies of a mother and her young daughter were found Friday morning in their Sonoma apartment, apparently a murder-suicide, sheriff's officials said.

"The identities of the victims were being withheld pending notification of relatives.

"Apartment building owner Jerry Marino said the victims were a young mother and her daughter, who was soon to turn 7 years old.

"`I assume she took her daughter's life first,` Marino said. `The daughter was asleep on the pillow. The mother was face down on the bed, facing toward the baby.`

"Marino and relatives of the woman went to the apartment to check on their welfare after the woman had not been to work in a week and no one was able to reach her by telephone. They had had lived at the apartment building for three years, he said.

"The sheriff's department, which is the city of Sonoma's police force, set up a command center on First Street West, just a few blocks from the historic plaza, and spent the day and much of the night at the scene.

"The Casa de Sonoma apartment is a 16-unit, white-stucco building on a street that is a mix of rental homes and apartments.

"Detective Sgt. Tim Duke said the two may have been dead for a week, and it was not immediately apparent how they died.

"`On the first preliminary walk through, it is not obvious to us,` Duke said. `It will take us time to figure it out.`"

Source: pressdemocrat.com...