Authorities in California have been investigating the death of a woman whose husband allegedly threatened to hurt her 3-year-old and assaulted an officer soon before her body was discovered.
Lizbeth Arceo Sedano, 25, was unavailable to her family or authorities when her partner Joshua Gonzalez was arrested for reportedly threatening to harm her child and assaulting an officer, Watsonville, Calif., police stated in a statement on Sunday, August 4.
In their statement, police voiced “serious concerns” about Sedano’s well-being and requested for assistance in finding her, noting that her family has indicated it was unusual for her not to accept phone calls or text messages.
According to Watsonville police, Gonzalez was outside the police building on Saturday evening when he called the dispatch center, alleging he “was armed with a knife and was going to hurt the three-year-old child.”
According to authorities, he allegedly informed the dispatcher that the child is his stepdaughter.
When a first responder came out of a patrol car and told him to drop the knife, Gonzalez allegedly “charged” at the officer, forcing him to shoot him, the statement states. He was transferred to a trauma facility. The incident did not result in any injuries to the child.
Deputies responding to a Santa Cruz location on Monday discovered a deceased body, which they quickly identified as Sedano’s, the sheriff’s department reported later that day.
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office is treating the death as “suspicious,” and the investigation will continue while investigators try to determine the cause and manner of death. Both departments’ statements did not name any charges against Gonzalez, who was in stable condition after the incident.
Sedano’s family described her as “outgoing, loving, and most of all a dedicated mother to her 3-year-old daughter” in a GoFundMe page set up to help with her burial expenses and financial necessities for her daughter.
“Lizbeth’s death was tragic, and our family will never be the same again,” said the appeal.