SAN DIEGO (AP) - A veteran police detective and her 18-year-old daughter were stabbed to death Monday, and her son was arrested on suspicion of murder after he was found sitting next to the teenager's nude body on the sidewalk outside their home, authorities said.
The bodies of Donna Williams, 52, and Briana Williams were discovered by officers who went to the Rancho Penasquitos neighborhood shortly before 1:30 a.m., after neighbors called 911 to report a violent disturbance and a woman screaming for help at a home, police said.
Officers found the teenager's nude body on the sidewalk and her mother in an upstairs bedroom of the two-story home. Williams' son was sitting next to his sister's body and a large kitchen knife was found on the front lawn, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.
Briana Williams apparently jumped or fell from the balcony, authorities said.
Brian Williams, 24, was arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder and was jailed without bail, according to a San Diego County sheriff's website. It was unclear whether he had obtained a lawyer.
It was unclear what prompted the attack, San Diego Police Department homicide Capt. Jim Collins said at a news conference. He said officers had been called to the house on June 30 because of another disturbance but said the matter had been resolved. He did not provide details.
Donna Williams, a mother of five, was a 31-year veteran of the San Diego Police Department who mainly worked in the child abuse unit. She joined the department in 1980 as a patrolwoman. She joined the child abuse unit in 1989.
"She was known as the cornerstone of the unit," Collins said.
Her husband, Howard Williams, was a former homicide detective with the department who died in 2007.
Briana Williams had just graduated from Mount Carmel High School in San Diego. She played softball in school and had won a full scholarship to attend a San Francisco design college, Collins said.
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Information from: The San Diego Union-Tribune
THIS IS AN UPDATE TO THE PREVIOUS STORY BELOW.
SAN DIEGO (CNS) - A 24-year-old man today stabbed to death his mother and 18-year-old sister at a home in Rancho Penasquitos, police said.
Neighbors called officers to the home in the 9800 block of Paseo Montril at 1:22 a.m. after hearing a woman screaming for help, said San Diego police homicide Lt. Ernie Herbert.
When officers arrived minutes later, they found the 18-year-old victim in front of the house and her brother nearby, Herbert said. The young woman was nude.
Paramedics were called in but were unable to save her, according to the lieutenant, who said she had multiple stab wounds from a knife and died at the scene.
When officers entered the home, they found the body of the suspect's 52-year-old mother, who also had been stabbed several times with a knife, Herbert said.
"The preliminary investigation has only revealed there was a disturbance between the son, mother and daughter," Herbert said. "The motive for the attack is unknown at this time."
All three family members were positively identified but their names were being withheld pending family notification. The 24-year-old man was taken into custody in connection with the attack.
THIS IS AN UPDATE TO THE PREVIOUS STORY BELOW.
SAN DIEGO (CNS/CBS 8) - Two women were stabbed to death at a home in Rancho Penasquitos early Monday, police said, and the killer was reported to be a family member.
The double homicide in the 9800 block of Paseo Montril was reported at 1:22 a.m., said San Diego police Officer Dino Delimitros.
Officers were called after a woman was heard screaming on a balcony.
They found a 52-year-old woman and her 18-year-old daughter stabbed to death and arrested the woman's 24-year-old son, a local news source reported.
The mother was a police detective and her husband is a former San Diego officer who died of cancer.