The following is a press release from the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office. The information has not been proven in court and all persons described should be considered innocent until proven guilty.:
On 06/29/2024 at approximately 11:07 a.m., the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office Communications Center received calls from several residents in the area of the 5200 block of Blue Lake Road in Brooktrails Township in Willits, CA. The callers reported a male subject causing a disturbance in the area, with yelling and possible fighting being heard.
Sheriff’s office officers were not in the immediate area and arrived at dispatch approximately 20 minutes after the initial calls. After arriving, officers went to a home in the 5200 block of Blue Lake Road at the request of a caller to check on the resident. Upon arrival at the home, officers noticed that the front windows appeared to be smashed and that there was blood in and around the front of the home. Officers checked the home and found a female victim in the living room who appeared to have sustained injuries likely caused by a violent attack. Officers made sure there were no other victims or people in the home, began CPR, and administered first aid while calling emergency medical services.
The 77-year-old female victim succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. While officers were on scene, a vehicle arrived and the suspect, Michael Coleman, was in the passenger seat. Officers determined there was evidence Coleman was involved in the violent attack and arrested him at the scene without incident. Detectives from the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office were called to the scene to take over the investigation. Coleman was ultimately booked into the Mendocino County Jail on a charge of manslaughter (187(a) PC) where he is being held without bail. This case is currently under investigation and will likely result in additional charges being filed through the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office. The final cause and manner of death is pending an autopsy and toxicology reports.
Investigators from the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office, Ukiah and Willits police departments, California Highway Patrol, CalFire Prevention law enforcement, the California Department of Justice Crime Lab in Santa Rosa, and Sacramento Department of Justice criminalists are assisting in this ongoing investigation.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to call the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office Communications Center at 707-463-4086. Information may also be submitted anonymously through the non-emergency tip line at 707-234-2100.
