A manhunt that swept across California after five bodies were found in a Modesto home ended Sunday with the arrest of the father of a victim, police said.
“Martin Martinez has been booked into the Santa Clara County Jail on suspicion of murder,” Modesto police said in a statement. The victims, all females and all related, included three children ranging in age from 6 months to 6 years, police said.
Police spokeswoman Heather Graves told News10 in Modesto that police received a call from a concerned family member Saturday afternoon asking that officers check on the home. Officers responding to the request found the bodies.
A short time later Martinez, 30, who police said “has had a past relationship with one of the victims and is the biological father of one of the deceased children,” was named as a person of interest in the case. Police later said the two victims, a mother and daughter, were both tied to Martinez.
A statewide manhunt began, with authorities looking for a 2000 red Lincoln Navigator. Hours later, San Jose police found the SUV. A few hours later Martinez was taken into custody without incident, authorities said.
“Martin Martinez has been located by @SanJosePD. The investigation in ongoing. No further details available,” Modesto police tweeted early Sunday.
Police did not immediately reveal how the victims were killed, and the crime scene was still being processed Sunday. Authorities declined to discuss a motive.
Family and friends identified one of the victims as Amanda Crews, an attending physician at Stanislaus County’s Health Services Agency in Modesto, The Modesto Bee reported.
Modesto, a city of more than 200,000 in Central California, is about 90 miles from San Jose. The tragedy played out in a relatively new subdivision where large homes tower over young trees.
