Stanislaus County detectives probe shooting death of woman

A 28-year-old woman was shot to death at her home in south Modesto early Wednesday morning.

At 12:33 a.m., deputies were called to the 400 block of East Hatch Road on a report that a woman had been shot, according to Sgt. Anthony Bejaran of the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department. The victim, Sylvia Chavarria, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The shooting occurred either at or just outside a residence.

A neighbor said the victim lived inside the mobile home with three children she believes are between the ages of 3 and 7. She said Chavarria moved to the home about a month and a half ago.

The neighbor said she awoke to the sound of a loud bang that she thought was an explosion. She said she looked outside to make sure it was not the barbecue she had been using, and went back inside until she saw police lights flashing in front of her house about 20 minutes later.

“I just saw her yesterday,” the neighbor said. The victim’s son had tossed a stuffed turtle over their shared fence and the victim went to retrieve it. “I just handed it to her and now she’s not here. It’s sad.”

Bejaran did not release further details about the shooting, such as who called 911 or whether the children were home at the time. No suspects have been identified or a motive determined.

It was the 12th reported homicide in Stanislaus County this year, not including two fatal officer-involved shootings.

This story was originally published June 1, 2016 at 6:27 AM with the headline "Stanislaus County detectives probe shooting death of woman."