Modesto Mass Murder Suspect Arrested; Daughter Among 5 Victims
DUBLIN (KPIX 5) -- A man suspected of murdering two adults and three children, including his own daughter, in Modesto has been arrested.
30-year-old Martin Martinez was arrested early Sunday morning in connection with the deaths. Police said the children ranged in age from 6 months to 6 years.
Family members identified Amanda Crews as one of the victims. Crews was a doctor who worked in Stanislaus County. Modesto Police said Crews had been in a relationship with Martinez.
Modesto police discovered the bodies inside the house on Nob Hill Court after a neighbor asked them to do a welfare check.
Distraught relatives were escorted away from the crime scene Saturday afternoon.
"We have identified that all of the victims inside are females. All of them are related," Modesto police officer Heather Graves told KPIX 5.
Martinez was named a 'person of interest' Saturday night. Hours later, police discovered his red Lincoln Navigator 80 miles from the crime scene in East San Jose.
Police determined Martinez was traveling in another vehicle, which was found unoccupied in the parking lot of the Westfield Oakridge shopping mall at 925 Blossom Hill Road around 12:45 a.m. Sunday, San Jose Police Officer Albert Morales said.
Martinez was spotted walking back to the vehicle and was arrested without incident roughly 15 minutes later, according to Morales.
So far, investigators aren't saying anything about how the victims died or a possible motive.
Martinez is expected to be transferred to a facility in Modesto to face murder charges.
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