Man Called 911 to Report 'Booby Traps' in Calif. Home, Then Officers Found a Family of 4 Dead in Apparent Murder-Suicide By Sean Neumann

Police in Northern California made a gruesome discovery Tuesday morning when officers found a man, a woman and two children dead in a house after receiving an alleged 911 call from the shooter saying the home was filled with “booby traps.”

Officials with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office described the scene at the Rancho Cordova home as a murder-suicide and said Tuesday evening that the man found dead is believed to be responsible for the other three deaths, according to local reports from SFGate, KCRA and CBS News Sacramento.

The Sacramento Bee later identified the four victims as a family of four who lived in the home: David Edward Vallerga Jr., 58, Lindsey Peralta Vallerga, 49, and the couple’s 13-year-old son and 11-year-old daughter.

KCRA reported that police initially received a 911 call around 8:30 a.m. about reports of gunfire in the area. Citing police, the outlet reported that another 911 call came in from Vallerga Jr., who allegedly said he was the one firing a weapon and warned police that he set up traps around the house.

Sacramento County Sheriff’s spokesperson Sgt. Edward Igoe told KCRA that responding police then launched a drone “into the residence and it was discovered that there was one male subject that appeared to be unresponsive down in the residence.”

Officers then entered the home and found the woman and two children dead, Igoe told KCRA. 

“It’s always difficult,” Igoe said, according to KCRA. “A response to something of this magnitude is always extremely difficult. And honestly, as an agency, just our prayers are with friends and families of those involved today.”

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Speaking with CBS, the county sheriff spokesperson added: “As an agency, as a human, as a father, look out for each other and take care of each other in this very difficult time.”

The husband and wife ran two tutoring businesses started in the family’s house, the Sacramento Bee reported. CBS reported that there was no prior history of domestic violence at the home, according to police.

KCRA reporters stationed outside the home cited curious and concerned neighbors who said the alleged murder-suicide was unexpected in the neighborhood.

“It’s quiet for the most part,” neighbor Cameron Daughtry told KCRA. “You’ll see people walking their dogs, running. For the most part, we don’t have any loud parties going on here and stuff like that. And it’s very quiet. Everybody’s friendly and peaceful. So to see this, it’s wild.”

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.