Man killed, another injured in west Sonoma County stabbings; suspect found dead

Investigators in west Sonoma County, on Friday, will continue to search for the reason why a man stabbed two people — one fatally — late Wednesday before jumping off a bridge in what was described as an “apparent suicide.”

Detectives have yet to establish a motive for the two separate attacks, which killed one man and severely injured another, Sgt. Juan Valencia, a spokesman for the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office, said on Thursday.

By interviewing witnesses, however, they did determine the suspect and the second victim knew each other. The relationship, if any existed, between the first victim and the suspected attacker remained unknown, Valencia added.

The first attack happened in the Guerneville area, at a home in the 14000 block of Old Cazadero Road. Sheriff’s Office dispatchers got the first 911 call about the incident around 9 p.m. from a woman “whispering for help,” the agency said in a social media post.

In subsequent 911 calls, others reported a car had crashed into a home and a person inside the residence was dead, the post said.

Sheriff’s deputies found a man with at least one stab wound inside the home, “bleeding profusely,” according to the social media post. Deputies gave him CPR until paramedics arrived, Valencia said.

The man was taken to a hospital, where he died of his injuries, Valencia said. Authorities have not released his name and Valencia could not confirm whether the man lived at the gray, one-story home where he was stabbed.

The man who detectives believe is responsible for the attacks also died Wednesday.

Authorities found his body on rocky ground at the base of the Highway 116 bridge over the Russian River in Guerneville. His death is being considered an “apparent suicide,” Valencia said, adding that the man’s truck was parked nearby.

Cracks around its front door frame were visible Thursday morning on the exterior of the home on Old Cazadero Road, where the first stabbing occurred. The door was missing and plywood had been screwed into place over the opening.

A section of white picket fence lining the front yard had been knocked down on Wednesday night, according to a neighbor. The fallen fence had been removed by morning, but the splintered remnants of a fence post remained stuck in the dirt.

Deputies described the damage as “consistent with a vehicle crashing into a fence, support beam, and the residence's front door,” according to the Sheriff’s Office Facebook post.

But the vehicle that caused the damage was not there when deputies arrived, Valencia said.

The second attack happened about seven miles away, in the Forestville area, and was reported about an hour after the first one.

A man was stabbed at a home in the 10500 block of River Drive and was taken by a family member to an area hospital, where deputies went to check on him.

He was in critical condition when he entered the hospital, but by the end of Thursday, Valencia said the man was expected to live.

Authorities, on Thursday, did not release the names of either of the men who were stabbed or the man who they identified as a suspect.

Valencia said names would likely be released Friday after the deceased men’s families had been notified.

Wednesday night, before deputies located the suspect, the Sheriff’s Office issued an alert to local law enforcement to be on the lookout for a young man driving a Ford F-150, who was armed with a knife, in connection with the two stabbings.

In addition to witness interviews, surveillance video from both residences where the stabbings occurred also helped link the same man to both attacks, Valencia said.

Hours after the late-night attacks, residents of west county remained shaken as details about the two incidents trickled out throughout the day Thursday.

A woman who gave her name as Ellen walked through the neighborhood near Old Cazadero Road, where the first attack occurred, after she learned what happened.

She said her curiosity was sparked Wednesday night when she heard a helicopter flying over Old Cazadero Road in the dark. She was staying at her mom’s house, down the block from the site of the first attack.

“It was just unusual to have a helicopter flying around at 9 o’clock at night,” she said.

Ellen pulled back a curtain to look outside and saw a stream of law enforcement vehicles drive by with their lights flashing.

“At first I was just like, ‘Is there a fire or something?’“ she recalled.

She stopped in front of the house where the stabbing occurred to take in the scene.

“Sad, sad story,” she said.

You can reach Staff Writer Matt Pera at matthew.pera@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @Matt__Pera. Reach Staff Writer Kaylee Tornay at kaylee.tornay@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5250. On Twitter @ka_tornay.