A California woman was found dead Sunday morning after her partner was shot and injured by police outside a station when he threatened to hurt the couple’s toddler daughter on Saturday.
Lizbeth Arceo Sedano, 25, was found dead in a heavily forested area north of Watsonville after police said they had “serious concerns” for her well-being, according to the Watsonville Police Department.
That came after Joshua Gonzalez showed up at the Watsonville police station just after 9:15 Saturday night with the couple’s 3-year-old daughter. He called dispatch, saying he had a knife and was was going to hurt the little girl.
A police officer responded, stepping out of his patrol car and ordering Gonzalez to drop the knife. He did not, and instead charged the officer, police said, prompting the officer to open fire.
Gonzalez was taken to a hospital, where he was listed in stable condition. The child was not harmed and was placed under the care of family members, while police began searching for Sedano.
Family said she was not responding to calls or texts at the time.
While police said that Gonzalez was “in custody,” he does not appear to have been charged with a crime. Police said that the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office was leading the investigation into her death.
The sheriff’s office said that a forensic pathologist would determine cause and manner of death while they continued the probe.
