SAN DIEGO (CNS) - A sex offender who prompted an overnight manhunt after allegedly bludgeoning his 83-year-old adoptive mother to death at their Escondido home was found dead Tuesday in Del Mar, where he apparently killed himself in his parked truck.
A deputy found 46-year-old Joseph Andrew Stuber's silver 2007 Toyota Tacoma in the 1400 block of Stratford Court about 7 a.m. The fugitive's body was inside, with something wrapped around the face.
Preliminary evidence suggested that Stuber had committed suicide by asphyxiating himself, Escondido police Lt. Neal Griffin told reporters.
About 9:30 p.m. Monday, Stuber was seen behind the wheel of his pickup, speeding away from the house he and his mother shared on Mountain View Drive, near Orange Glen High School.
A short time later, police got a call from Stuber's biological father, who said his son had just phoned him and made statements indicating that someone might have been assaulted and seriously injured at the Escondido residence.
When patrol officers were unable to get a response from anyone inside the home, they forced entry and found the victim dead on the floor with a massive head wound. Her name was withheld pending family notification.
Stuber had twice been convicted of lewd and lascivious acts with a child younger than 14, California Department of Justice records state.
According to published reports, he was sentenced to 16 years in prison in 1996 for repeatedly molesting one boy and trying to sexually assault another one after grabbing him on a school playground. Following his release from prison, Stuber moved to Escondido in July 2007.