NORTH COAST, Calif. — The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office said it is investigating a fatal shooting in Covelo last week.

Capt. Quincy Cromer said that just after 9 p.m. Wednesday, May 14, deputies were dispatched to a 911 hangup in the area north of Covelo, CA.

The 911 caller was an unidentified male who advised he needed help for a friend and later disconnected. Utilizing the systems and technology from the Sheriff’s Office Communications Center, the dispatcher was able to trace the 911 call to the 82000 block of Mina Road in Covelo, Cromer said.

Sheriff’s deputies responded to the area of the 911 hang-up near Covelo and overheard radio traffic just before 11 p.m. of a deputy in Ukiah being dispatched to the Adventist Health Ukiah Valley Emergency Room for an adult male subject with possible gunshot wounds.

Cromer said deputies extensively checked the area of Mina Road for the 911 hang-up. While on Mina Road, deputies were contacted by subjects in a vehicle who reported an unresponsive male was located a short distance away on Hulls Valley Road.

Deputies responded to the area of Hulls Valley Road, approximately 1 mile from the intersection with Mina Road, and located an unresponsive adult male on the roadway near 2 vehicles that were unoccupied along the road. This area was determined to be the 23000 block of Hulls Valley Road, Cromer said.

Deputies checked the unresponsive adult male and determined he was deceased from apparent gunshot wounds at 12:42 a.m. Thursday, May 15, according to Cromer’s report.

Cromer said there were multiple firearms located in the vicinity of the decedent and expended cartridge casings on the ground. There was also blood evidence located along the ground and Deputies followed the blood trail for approximately ¼ mile where they located a large marijuana grow with hoop houses and several camp trailers.

As deputies continued to investigate the apparent homicide in Covelo, Cromer said other deputies responded to the emergency room in Ukiah to further investigate the subject with gunshot wounds who was receiving medical treatment.

Deputies interviewed the adult male with gunshot wounds and the subject who transported him to the hospital. Based on these interviews, Cromer said deputies determined this investigation was related to the shooting incident and deceased subject located by sheriff’s office personnel on Hulls Valley Road.

Due to the subject’s significant injuries, the adult male with gunshot wounds at the Adventist Health Ukiah Valley Emergency Room was transported to an out-of-county hospital for further medical treatment, Cromer reported.

Sheriff’s office detectives were contacted and briefed on both incidents as they were determined to be related. Cromer said detectives prepared a search warrant for the marijuana grow property on Hulls Valley Road and the shooting scene along Hulls Valley Road.

Additional sheriff’s office personnel and investigators with the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office were requested to respond to Covelo and assist with the investigation, Cromer said.

Deputies canvassed the area of Mina Road and Hulls Valley Road in an attempt to find possible witnesses or other involved subjects. At 8:15 a.m. Thursday, May 15, a deputy located another adult male subject on Hulls Valley Road who was approximately 4 miles from the intersection with Mina Road, according to Cromer.

Cromer said the adult male had numerous apparent gunshot wounds and required emergency medical treatment. An air ambulance was requested, and the adult male was airlifted to a different out-of-county hospital for emergency medical treatment. Basic statements from the subject indicated he suffered gunshot wounds during the same shooting incident on Hulls Valley Road.

The two subjects with gunshot wounds who were transported to different out-of-county hospitals are in stable condition and have been interviewed regarding this ongoing homicide investigation, Cromer reported.

Cromer said attempts are being made to positively identify the adult male found dead on Hulls Valley Road. Once the man has been identified and his legal next-of-kin has been notified of his death, additional information can be released regarding his identity.

A post-mortem examination is being scheduled for the dead man and the official cause and manner of death will not be released until the pathologist completes their examination and reports, Cromer said.

During this investigation, Cromer said deputies uncovered evidence which is indicative of illegal marijuana cultivation and sales under the control of a drug trafficking organization.

Additional information related to the suspected drug trafficking organization will not be released to maintain the integrity of this investigation, Cromer said.

Anyone with information related to this investigation is requested to contact the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office Communications Center at 707-463-4086 (option 1). Information can also be provided anonymously by calling the non-emergency tip-line at 707-234-2100.

HUMBOLDT COUNTY, Calif. — Authorities in Humboldt County said this week that DNA analysis has led to the identification of skeletal remains from a 38-year-old cold case.

The remains belong to Kay Josephine Medin, whose husband, Nickolas Medin, reported her missing on Aug. 3, 1987, to the Trinity County Sheriff's Office.

Nickolas Medin reported he had left on a business trip and when he returned home his wife was gone.

The Medin property was searched, and friends and family were contacted. Her doctor was contacted, who reported she had no serious medical issues.

Kay Medin was employed as a teacher at the Hyampom School. Her boss was contacted and reported she had been in good spirits. Her purse and personal property were found at the residence.

The Trinity County Sheriff’s Office listed her disappearance as suspicious.

On November 25, 1987, the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office received a package in the US mail. The package contained skeletal remains and an anonymous letter. The letter gave directions leading to more human remains at a location near Ammon Ridge Road in Eastern Humboldt County.

Humboldt County Sheriff’s detectives responded to the location given in the letter and discovered additional human remains. These remains were later identified as Kay Medin using dental records.

A death certificate was issued for Kay Medin in 1988, and she remained listed as a missing person as there was not a complete body recovery.

On Feb. 16, 1993, the Fortuna Police Department contacted the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office to report that a man had found a partial human skull on the beach near Trinidad Head. The man later turned the remains into the Fortuna Police Department.

A DNA sample was obtained from the skull and entered into both the California Missing Person DNA Database and the National Unidentified Person DNA index. The DNA profile was searched against profiles from both missing persons and other human remains in the Combined DNA Index System. No match was ever made.

In 2024, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office received Community Project Funding from Congressman Jared Huffman’s Office. The funding was to be used to clear up a backlog of unidentified human remains cases. The sheriff’s office partnered with private lab Othram Inc.

A DNA extract from the remains was sent to Othram. Othram scientists used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing to build a comprehensive DNA profile for the unknown remains. Once the profile was built, Othram’s in-house genealogy team used forensic genetic genealogy to produce investigative leads.

In September 2024, the sheriff’s office received a report from Othram indicating the skull may be that of Kay Medin.

The report included genetic relatives, including a possible daughter. Investigators were able to locate the daughter and obtained a DNA sample from her. The California Department of Justice later compared the two DNA samples and confirmed the skull belonged to Kay Medin. Nickolas Medin died in August 2018.

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office thanked Othram, Congressman Jared Huffman and the California Department of Justice DNA lab for assisting in solving this case.

The sheriff’s office is continuing to work with Othram on several other unidentified remains investigations utilizing the latest DNA technology. This case is still open and considered a cold homicide.

If you have any information regarding this case, please contact Investigator Mike Fridley at 707-441-3024.

NORTH COAST, Calif. — Caltrans is asking for the public’s assistance following a series of illegal hazardous material dumpings along U.S. 101 in Mendocino County.

On Monday, with the assistance of the California Highway Patrol, the Mendocino County Environmental Health Department, and Redwood Empire Hazmat Incident Response, 19 barrels containing hazardous waste were removed from an embankment south of Leggett near the Empire Rest Area.

The cost of the cleanup and disposal of the materials is estimated at $30,000.

“Luckily, we've avoided any major environmental hazards thus far,” said Caltrans District 1 Hazardous Materials Manager Danny Figueiredo. “At the cleanup site on Monday, the materials were only 10 feet away from dropping over a cliff with a drop of about 50 to 75 feet right into the creek. The creek has fresh running water, with fish, and that would have been disastrous.”

The string of incidents began in November with illegal dumping occurring twice in Hopland, again last month in Laytonville near the Shamrock Ranch, and most recently south of Leggett.

“The evidence collected indicates that the materials found at all four sites originated from the Bay Area, possibly from an old construction or roof insulation company in Livermore,” Figueiredo said.

He emphasized that the expense of each cleanup is substantial.

If anyone has information or has seen any suspicious activity regarding the dumping of barrels of commercial hazardous waste along U.S. 101 in Mendocino County, please contact the CHP at 707-932-6100.

GLENN COUNTY, Calif. – Caltrans is alerting motorists of construction activities on a safety improvement project at the intersection of State Route 32 and County Road P in Orland.

The project includes the installation of a new traffic signal to improve safety and reduce the number of collisions at this location.

This week marks the start of onsite work, with crews performing potholing operations to locate underground utilities. Current work is taking place within the shoulder areas and is not expected to significantly impact traffic flow.

This $6.1 million safety project will enhance motorist safety at the intersection and reduce the frequency of collisions.

Motorists are advised to slow down, watch for construction crews and equipment traveling in and out of the work zone, and expect intermittent delays.

Caltrans District 3 is responsible for maintaining and operating 4,385 lane miles in 11 Sacramento Valley and Northern Sierra counties.

Caltrans reminds motorists to “Be Work Zone Alert” and slow in construction zones for the safety of travelers and crews performing these improvements.

The department will issue updates on X @CaltransDist3 and on Facebook at CaltransDistrict3. For real-time traffic information, click on Caltrans’ QuickMap or download the QuickMap app from the App Store or Google Play.

NORTH COAST, Calif. — The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office said it has identified the individual whose remains were found near Ukiah late last week.

On March 22, deputies were dispatched to the 1800 block of Low Gap Road in Ukiah regarding human remains that members of a local nonprofit group found while they were conducting trash cleanup in the area.

The agency said an autopsy was conducted on Monday. Medical records were obtained for a known missing person in the Ukiah area and used for comparison when conducting the autopsy.

The decedent was positively identified as Angel Murguia-Martinez, a 25-year-old male from Ukiah who was reported as a missing person to the Ukiah Police Department in February of 2024.

Following the identification of the remains, Murguia-Martinez’s next of kin were notified.

The official cause and manner of death will be determined by a forensic pathologist and released when all forensic examination reports and tests have been completed, the sheriff’s office said.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is requested to call the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office Dispatch Center at 707-463-4086 (option 1). Information can also be provided anonymously by calling the non-emergency tip line at 707-234-2100.

MENDOCINO COUNTY, Calif. — The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the discovery of human remains over the weekend.

A report from Lt. James Elmore explained that just before 10 a.m. Saturday, deputies were dispatched to the 1800 block of Low Gap Road in Ukiah regarding found human remains.

Upon arrival, the deputies contacted members of a local nonprofit group who were conducting trash cleanup in the area.

Deputies were advised that while cleaning up trash, one of the nonprofit group members located what was believed to be human remains.

The deputies conducted a further search of the area and located what they confirmed to be adult human remains.

Investigators from both the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office and the Ukiah Police Department responded and processed the scene.

Investigators are researching active missing persons cases in an attempt to assist with identifying the human remains.

Once positive identification is made and the legal next of kin is notified, Elmore said that information will be released to the public.

As of Monday, the coroner's case is still actively being investigated, but foul play is not suspected.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is requested to call the Sheriff's Office Dispatch Center at 707-463-4086 (option 1).

Information can also be provided anonymously by calling the non-emergency tip line at 707-234-2100.