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Man accused of killing his own mother in Modesto

One woman dead, one man arrested after domestic dispute in Modesto
One woman dead, one man arrested after domestic dispute in Modesto 01:34

MODESTO - A murder investigation is underway after a man in Modesto was arrested for allegedly killing his mother. The Stanislaus County Sheriff's Office says deputies responded to a domestic disturbance call and found the victim.

Police lights in the early morning hours are what neighbors woke up to in their South Modesto neighborhood. A disturbance call led to a police presence on Inyo Avenue. The Stanislaus County Sheriff's Office says a woman was found with life-threatening injuries inside a home.

"We urgently rushed her to the hospital with paramedics and ambulance, and she unfortunately succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced deceased at the hospital," said a sheriff's department spokesperson.

After further investigation, sheriff's deputies made an arrest. The suspect? The victim's son, 38-year-old Zachary Morris.

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Zachary Morris Stanislaus County District Attorney

"They found probable cause to arrest Mr. Morris for homicide," the sheriff's office spokesperson said.

Neighbors in the area say this incident is unfortunate but not uncommon.

"There's a lot of things going on around here...it may seem shocking, but it's just what happens here. I mean, like not a lot of people know what happens until they are surprised when stuff happens here. But when you live here it's just common," a neighbor said.

The sheriff's office did not say how the woman died or if there was a murder weapon involved. That will be revealed after a forensic autopsy is complete next week.

The victim, a double-leg amputee, was later identified as Dana Morris.

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