Update: Officials ID woman whose body was found in Del Rio area. Turlock man held
A woman was found dead off McHenry Avenue in the Del Rio area north of Modesto early Sunday morning after the suspect called police to report he had shot her, officials said.
She was identified on Monday as 30-year-old Nicolette Ciabatti of Jamestown.
Alfonso Phillip Cervantes, 44, of Turlock called police from the parking lot of the former K-Mart in Oakdale at about 2:50 a.m., according to Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Sgt. Josh Clayton.
Oakdale police responded, detained Cervantes and determined the shooting occurred within the jurisdiction of the Sheriff’s Department, Clayton said.
Deputies, with the assistance of Escalon police, searched McHenry until they located the shooting scene and the woman’s body north of Stewart Road.
Clayton said the victim and suspect knew each other, but he would not elaborate on their relationship or a motive.
Cervantes was booked into the Stanislaus County Jail on suspicion of homicide just before 9 a.m. on Sunday. He remained there without bail Monday.
This is the first homicide of the year in Stanislaus County.
Anyone with information about the investigation is asked to contact Detective Dave Hickman at 209-525-7042.
This story was originally published January 20, 2020 at 9:53 AM.
