Update: Modesto police confirm Hughson case is homicide-suicide
Update: The deaths of a Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office sergeant and his wife are being investigated as a homicide-suicide, the Modesto Police Department announced late Monday afternoon.
Just before 9:30 a.m. Sunday, Stanislaus Regional 911 got a call from a child reporting that her parents were dead. Deputies from the Sheriff’s Office immediately responded to a home on the 1700 block of Fontana Ranch Road in Hughson.
Deputies got two children out of the house, then searched it and found the bodies of Daniel Hutsell, 40, and Dinella Hutsell, 37, an MPD news release says.
It says the investigation remains active and no further information will be released at this time.
Original story: More details have emerged regarding the deaths of a Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office deputy and his wife on Sunday morning in Hughson.
According to a news release from the Sheriff’s Office, Stanislaus Regional 911 received a call from a juvenile stating that his or her parents were dead. Deputies responded immediately to the 1700 block of Fontana Ranch Road. Two children were safely removed from the home, the release says. During a search of the premises, deputies found two deceased adults, one male and one female.
When The Bee visited the scene Monday morning, the home with the address 1705 Fontana Ranch Road was closed off with tape. Members of a crime scene cleanup team, wearing hazmat suits, could be seen working in the home. A large American flag planted on the front lawn was flying at half-staff.
The neighborhood is home to several people who work in law enforcement, according to a resident who spoke with The Bee.
The residents of the home were Detective Daniel Hutsell, a Sheriff’s Office employee who worked on its SWAT team, and his wife, Dinella Hutsell, who worked at a Hughson cemetery and funeral home. This information is according to public documents, social media profiles and posts, and previous Modesto Bee news articles.
Dinella’s Facebook profile picture is of her, her husband and their two daughters. Dinella, who went by Danee and whose Facebook profile uses her maiden name, Madrigal, listed her job as a pre-planning advisor at Lakewood Memorial Cemetery. The couple applied for a marriage license in January 2014, according to The Bee’s records.
“I had the pleasure of working with Danee Hutsell while planning my father’s funeral. While it was one of the most difficult situations I had to handle with my mom, Danee made us feel comfortable,” reads a Facebook review of the Hughson memorial park. “We felt like we were being heard and understood. The entire process was so peaceful and timely.”
Daniel Hutsell was referenced in a 2020 Bee article as being one of four Sheriff’s Office SWAT team members who fatally shot a man who held his wife hostage for more than a day. The Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office found all four were justified in their actions.
As of Monday morning, the Modesto Police Department had not released any additional information regarding the deaths of the couple. The Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office could not confirm any information and deferred to MPD, which is handling the investigation along with the DA’s Office.
Sunday, The Bee asked the MPD which adult was the Sheriff’s Office employee; if the case is being investigated as a murder-suicide, double homicide, or other; if the cause of death has been determined; what time the deaths are believed to have occurred; and if either or both of the children witnessed the deaths. None of that information was available.
This story was originally published May 5, 2025 at 1:33 PM.
