By F. Scott Faulkner
September 30, 2025 – Santa Barbara County, CA
Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a call in the early evening of September
28 for a routine welfare check at a residence in Old Town Goleta.
At approximately 7:33 p.m., the deputies entered the home and discovered 72-year-old Lynn Areno dead from an apparent
gunshot wound.
According to Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Raquel Zick, it
was quickly determined that “the scene was beyond a medical emergency.”
Detectives soon arrived on the scene and quickly zeroed in on Areno’s son, Christopher
Lawrence Vanvlack, 32, as the likely suspect.
Vanvlack was taken into custody at the scene, whereupon he was transported to Santa Barbara County Jail on suspicion of homicide.
According to the Santa Barbara District Attorney’s Office, Vanvlack faces a first-degree murder
charge, accused of acting with “premeditation and deliberation.”
Vanvlack has “a significant criminal history” that includes DUI in 2015; firearms offenses in 2020; driving on a suspended
license in 2021; and, most recently, a 2024 case involving drug possession, paraphernalia, and
resisting an officer.
Vanvlack remains in custody with his bail set at $2,000,000.
