An Escondido man was arrested in connection with the death of his stepmother, authorities announced Tuesday.
Christopher Ryan Trudell, 43, was taken into custody Sunday by sheriff’s deputies and booked into the San Diego Central Jail on suspicion of murder, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office.
The investigation began May 28, when deputies from the Sheriff’s San Marcos Station responded to a residence in the 1600 block of Citrus Hills Lane in an unincorporated area near Escondido. Deputies arrived to find the resident, 78-year-old Marytrese Comer, dead.
While there were no obvious signs of trauma observed at the scene, the sheriff’s Homicide Unit assumed responsibility for the investigation due to “suspicious circumstances.”
The San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office took custody of the body to determine the cause and manner of death.
Trudell is being held without bail. He is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday at the North County Superior Court.