A 36-year-old woman was found dead Tuesday in a Stockton home alongside a 2-year-old boy who was alive and apparently unharmed, police said.
The woman’s body had lacerations on it, authorities said. The indication that she could have been stabbed has led police to investigate the case as a homicide.
Officers made the grim discovery about 6:30 a.m. Tuesday at a home in the 3800 block of Melody Court in Stockton’s Lakeview District, police said. Family members had requested a check on the woman’s welfare when they were unable to reach her.
The woman is believed to be related to the child who was found in the home, but the specifics were not immediately clear. The San Joaquin County Medical Examiner’s Office identified her as Rena Martinez, a Stockton resident.
Officers said the death is the seventh homicide of the year, compared to 11 during the same span last year.