A 43-year-old North County man is in jail on suspicion of murdering his 78-year-old stepmother after deputies found her dead at a home near Escondido late last month, authorities said.
The victim, identified as Marytrese Comer, was discovered at a residence on Citrus Hills Lane on May 28. Investigators later arrested Christopher Ryan Trudell on June 7. He was booked into San Diego Central Jail, is being held without bail, and is scheduled to be arraigned tomorrow in Vista Superior Court, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune.
Deputies from the San Marcos station initially responded to the Citrus Hills Lane home and found Comer unresponsive, the San Diego County Sheriff's Office said. Homicide detectives soon took over the investigation after deputies reported no obvious signs of trauma at the scene. The San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office took custody of the body to determine the cause and manner of death.
Investigation details
According to the San Diego County Sheriff's Office, homicide detectives are still processing the Citrus Hills Lane residence and interviewing potential witnesses. So far, officials have not released information about how Comer died, and the medical examiner continues to work on establishing the official cause and manner of death.
Legal next steps
Trudell is expected to appear in Vista Superior Court on Wednesday for arraignment, where prosecutors may file formal murder charges and a judge will decide what comes next in the case, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported. He remains in San Diego Central Jail without bail pending that hearing.
The sheriff's office has not released any details about a possible motive or additional circumstances surrounding Comer's death. This story will be updated as court records and official statements provide more information.
