California Mom of 3, Mari Bonnici, Found Dead at 38 in Her Apartment
A domestic violence-related murder-suicide involving two Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office employees has left Santa Rosa reeling.
Police say Deputy Jeremy Lyle, 44, fatally shot his ex-partner, 38-year-old detention specialist Mari Bonnici, before dying by suicide during an early-morning standoff on August 11. Officers were alerted when a neighbor reported Lyle appeared at her door with an infant, saying the child’s mother was hurt.
Bonnici was found dead with a gunshot wound; her 16-month-old twin daughters were unharmed, and the 8-month-old son was with the neighbor. Lyle later shot himself outside the county coroner’s office after hours of negotiations.
The Sheriff’s Office called it a domestic violence case with no prior police reports, though Bonnici had filed to dissolve their partnership in June. Sergeant Juan Valencia said, “No level of training or experience can fully prepare us for such a tragedy.” Resident Steve Schneider added, “It’s as bad as it gets.”
