Sheriff deputies investigate apparent murder-suicide in home

UPDATE - A Yuma Sector Border Patrol agent and a woman were found dead in an apparent murder-suicide inside their Foothills home early Wednesday morning.

According to Capt. Eben Bratcher of the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office, deputies received a call at about 4:14 a.m. in reference to a domestic violence situation at a residence in the 11800 block of Calle Guadi. The caller reported that her brother had told her that he had killed his girlfriend and was going to kill himself.

Bratcher said when deputies arrived on scene, a perimeter was established and a neighboring home was evacuated. After several attempts to make contact with occupants of the residence failed, a robot was sent into the home through the back door.

“We never got a response from anyone inside the house,” Bratcher said. “Obviously you don’t want to go into a home where someone is armed. It’s just not safe.”

Once inside, the robot located a man deceased in one of the rooms. Deputies then entered and secured the residence while the robot continued ahead, searching each room. A deceased woman was located in another room of the residence.

“I think we were called after the girlfriend had been killed,” Bratcher said.

The deceased man has been identified as Robert C. Nelson, 36, an agent with the Yuma Sector Border Patrol. The woman has not yet been identified.

“This morning, CBP learned about the death of Border Patrol Agent Robert C. Nelson, 36, who was assigned to U.S. Border Patrol’s Yuma Sector. He was not on duty at the time of the incident,” read an official statement prepared by the Yuma Sector Public Affairs Office. “Agent Nelson joined the U.S. Border Patrol May 23, 2005. CBP is fully cooperating with the investigation led by the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office. Our condolences go out to the families affected by the incident.”

An 11-year-old girl was also found inside the residence with no apparent injuries. She was turned over to Rural Metro personnel on scene and to a victim’s advocate from Amberly’s Place.

YCSO investigators are working to notify next of kin and locate a family member to take custody of the girl.

Both the man and woman had sustained a gunshot wound. This case is under investigation but preliminary indications are that the woman was shot by the man who then used the gun on himself.

James Gilbert can be reached at jgilbert@yumasun.com or 539-6854. Find him on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/YSJamesGilbert or on Twitter @YSJamesGilbert.