Ukiah Man Arrested on Suspicion of First-Degree Murder
UKIAH, CA — “On 09/22/2026 at 03:14 P.M., the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch Center received a call from an adult female reporting a violent assault with a knife on Hensley Creek Road in Ukiah, CA.
Sheriff’s Deputies initiated an emergency response to the scene and requested medical personnel to respond and stage in the area. Additional law enforcement personnel were requested from the California Highway Patrol and other areas of Mendocino County.
The female caller informed the dispatcher she discovered an adult male had murdered an adult female at the location with a knife.
Sheriff’s Deputies met with the female reporting party along the driveway to the property, who directed them to the scene where the assault occurred. Sheriff’s Deputies arrived and encountered an adult male subject, later identified as Isidro ValenciaOrtiz, near a residence. ValenciaOrtiz was holding a knife when encountered by Sheriff’s Deputies who ordered him to drop the weapon and surrender. ValenciaOrtiz eventually complied with the orders from Sheriff’s Deputies, disarmed himself, and was detained in handcuffs.
Sheriff’s Deputies searched the property and located an adult female subject with wounds consistent with a violent assault. Sheriff’s Deputies checked for vitals on the female victim and requested emergency medical personnel to assess the female. The female was pronounced deceased at the scene by medical personnel.
The female decedent was determined to be a relative of ValenciaOrtiz. The victim was identified as a 40-year-old female from Ukiah, CA, but her name is being withheld at this stage of the investigation. There were no other victims located at the scene, and Sheriff’s Deputies determined there were no outstanding suspects.
Sheriff’s Deputies summoned assistance from Detectives with the Sheriff’s Office, who responded to take over this homicide investigation. A warrant was authored and granted for the property where the homicide occurred. Criminalists from the California Department of Justice Bureau of Forensic Services Eureka Lab and Santa Rosa Lab were requested to process the crime scene. During the search warrant service, evidence was located and seized which was consistent with a violent assault and homicide occurring at the property.
ValenciaOrtiz was placed under arrest for 187(a) PC – First-degree murder, and 12022(b)(1) PC – Use of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony. ValenciaOrtiz was transported to a local hospital where he was medically cleared for incarceration. ValenciaOrtiz was subsequently booked into the Mendocino County Jail where he is being held in lieu of $2,000,000 bail.
An autopsy is being scheduled for the female victim from this investigation. Additional information related to this homicide is being withheld at this time to maintain the integrity of this ongoing investigation.
Anyone with information related to this incident is requested to contact the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office at 707-463-4086 (option 1). Information can also be provided anonymously by calling the non-emergency tip-line at 707-234-2100.”
