Detectives Investigating Violent Weekend In Modesto Area
MODESTO (CBS13) -- It was a busy 24 hours for Modesto area law enforcement now investigating three homicides.
One man was fatally stabbed, another shot to death and a resident discovered human remains.
Stanislaus County Sheriff's deputies responded to the 100 block on Santa Rita Avenue just after 3 o'clock Saturday afternoon after getting a call from a resident. The person said they were digging a hole in the backyard attempting to bury a family pet that recently died when they discovered what looked like decomposing remains. Deputies confirmed the remains were indeed human.
"I think it's safe to say it's probably been there a matter of months, most likely not years," said Sgt. Tom Ledras with Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department.
Detectives worked throughout the night processing the scene as a possible homicide.
"But it may be something to where they have to go through DNA or dental or skeletal x-rays in order to confirm the identity, and that can take a little bit of time," Sgt. Ledras said.
Modesto Police say the deadly stabbing happened Saturday night just after 10 o'clock at Mildred Perkins Park. They say a man got into a fight and was stabbed. He was transported to a hospital where he died from his injuries. Police believe it was an isolated incident.
"Modesto PD will not patrol around here," said Dave Higginson, who lives across the street from the park.
"There's kids out here in cars. They're smoking weed and selling drugs all the time right here and all around this neighborhood, all the parks. They'll chase them away from this park and they'll go to another park right down the street and do the same thing," he said.
Police have not released the deceased name, but the victim's father told CBS 13 on scene that his son's name is Michael Tipton, and he was 20-years-old. The deadly shooting happened just 3 miles from the stabbing scene on Wyatt Court. Police got the call from dispatch just after midnight, Sunday morning that a man had been shot. The victim was transported to the hospital and pronounced dead.
Police again believe it was an isolated incident.
Police have not released suspect information in any of the cases thus far.