The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office says an apparent murder-suicide left four people dead in a Rancho Cordova home after a caller allegedly reported firing a gun and warned the house was rigged with "booby traps." Deputies used a drone to check the residence and then entered to find the bodies. Local reports identify the victims as David Edward Vallerga Jr., 58; Lindsey Peralta Vallerga, 49; and their 13-year-old son and 11-year-old daughter. Authorities said there was no known history of domestic violence at the home.
Rancho Cordova Tragedy: Family of Four Found Dead After Man Called 911 Saying He Set 'Booby Traps'
Credit: ABC 10ABC10/Youtube
Police in Rancho Cordova, California, discovered four people dead inside a home after receiving a 911 call reporting gunfire and a follow-up call from an alleged shooter who warned the house was rigged with "booby traps." Sacramento County investigators are treating the incident as an apparent murder-suicide.
What Happened
According to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office and local reports from SFGate, KCRA and CBS Sacramento, deputies responded after an initial 911 call around 8:30 a.m. about shots fired in the neighborhood. A subsequent call was reportedly placed by the homeowner, who said he had fired a weapon and warned that traps had been set throughout the residence.
Deputies deployed a drone to survey the interior of the house and observed an unresponsive adult male. Officers then entered the home and found three more victims: an adult female and two children. Officials later said the male adult is believed to have killed the other three.
Victims and Local Response
Local reporting from the Sacramento Bee identified the victims as David Edward Vallerga Jr., 58; Lindsey Peralta Vallerga, 49; and the couple’s two children, a 13-year-old son and an 11-year-old daughter. The family reportedly ran two tutoring businesses from their home. Police told reporters there was no known history of domestic violence at the residence.
Sacramento County Sheriff's spokesperson Sgt. Edward Igoe described the response as "extremely difficult" and offered condolences: "As an agency, as a human, as a father, look out for each other and take care of each other in this very difficult time." Neighbors expressed shock, saying the area is usually quiet and peaceful.
Resources
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or visit thehotline.org. Calls are confidential, toll-free and available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
Reporting for this article relied on statements from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office and local outlets including SFGate, KCRA, CBS Sacramento and the Sacramento Bee.
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