Tuesday, April 12, 2005 • Suspected murder/suicide keeps law enforcement busy
Publisher’s note: This story originally appeared in the Tuesday, April 12, 2005 edition of the Lassen County Times.
It was a busy week for the Lassen County Sheriff’s Department. According to Sheriff Steve Warren the department handled eight coroner’s cases in a week’s time.
Lassen County Sheriff Steve Warren.“We have had eight 11-44s (or deaths) in seven days. Six of them have been a violent death — homicide or suicide,” Warren said on Thursday, April 7 after issuing a press release on what appears to be a double murder and suicide in the south county.
Sheriff’s investigators confirmed on Friday, April 8 the identities of the victims as Alta Hall, 86, Henry Sprague, 71, and Patricia Sprague, 65. The Spragues were husband and wife and Hall was Patricia Sprague’s mother. The families of the three have been notified.
Investigators said they have evidence to lead them to believe the three were the only ones involved in the incident.
Autopsies were scheduled for April 8 to determine the cause of death of each person.
At approximately 7:26 a.m. on April 7, the sheriff’s department responded to 405-005 Scott Road, south of Highway 70 in Lassen County near the Plumas County line.
The deputies responding to a shots fired call determined once on scene that the situation was a possible hostage situation.
The sergeant on scene activated the Lassen Interagency SWAT Team, consisting of both deputies and Susanville Police. He also requested mutual aid from the Plumas County Sheriff’s Department. Plumas County responded by sending its SWAT team.
After several unsuccessful attempts to reach the occupants of the residence by telephone, the SWAT teams entered the home.
They found a dead man and a dead woman. Both had gunshot wounds. The SWAT teams then entered a second residence and found another woman dead from an apparent gunshot wound.
The deputies also found a dead 20-year-old man in the Bogard area of Highway 44 on Wednesday, April 6.
Warren said he would not know the cause of the death until after an autopsy, which was scheduled for Friday, April 8.
