The Sacramento County coroner has nailed down a precise time of death in the case of Richard Dwane McClintic, the 59-year-old man with cerebral palsy whose body was found in a South Natomas apartment last fall. The updated finding, announced Feb. 4, arrives months after prosecutors say he was killed and caps a lengthy investigation by detectives and the coroner’s office.
Coroner's findings
The Sacramento County Coroner's Office now lists McClintic's official time of death as 3:30 p.m. on Nov. 6, 2025. The office also says it has determined the cause of death, though those specific medical details have not been publicly released. The report, made available this week, provides the formal medical determination that investigators and prosecutors had been waiting for, according to ABC10.
What prosecutors allege
Prosecutors say court filings allege McClintic was murdered "on or about July 3, 2025," more than four months before his remains were recovered. The felony complaint and related charging documents outline what officials describe as a series of suspicious events and financial irregularities tied to his caregiver, according to KCRA.
How he was found
Relatives reported McClintic missing after they were unable to reach him in late October. An initial welfare check on Oct. 25 did not turn up any immediate red flags. It was not until Nov. 6 that detectives, armed with a search warrant for the Woodbridge Apartments on San Juan Road, searched a unit and discovered a body. Officers said at the time that identification and cause of death would have to be confirmed by the coroner, CBS Sacramento reported.
Charges and court schedule
McClintic's longtime caregiver, 41-year-old Christina Cowens, was arrested in November and first booked on suspicion of unlawful disposal of human remains, grand theft and concealment of a death. Prosecutors later expanded the case to include homicide and fraud-related counts, according to KCRA. Jail records list Cowens as ineligible for bail, and court documents show she is scheduled to appear in Sacramento County Superior Court on Feb. 19, 2026, according to ABC10.
Family and community reaction
Family members say they spent nearly two weeks searching for McClintic before police ultimately found his body. In early November, friends and neighbors gathered outside his apartment complex for a vigil, lighting candles and calling for answers in the case. "We're not gonna stop until we get justice for Richard," his nephew Ryan Klagenberg told reporters, per a report on a vigil outside his apartment.
