Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office investigates possible murder-suicide in Ukiah

Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office deputies suspect a man of killing his wife and then himself Friday night following a domestic dispute at a rural residence just south of Ukiah.

Deputies and California Highway Patrol officers responded at 9:26 p.m. to a residence in the 4900 block of Burke Hill Road following a call from the son of Suzanne and Shawn Stark, according to a department news release issued Saturday.

Law enforcement officials found two dead bodies in the house, and an initial investigation indicated Shawn Stark, 57, killed Suzanne Stark, 56, with a shotgun before turning the weapon on himself. The couple’s son was home at the time but did not witness the shooting, the news release stated.

An investigation is ongoing. There was no record of domestic violence between the couple, according to Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office records dating back to 2011.

Anyone with information about the incident can contact the sheriff’s office by calling dispatch at 707-463-4086 or a tip line at 707-234-2100.

You can reach Staff Writer Andrew Graham at 707-526-8667 or andrew.graham@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @AndrewGraham88