UPDATE: Sheriff’s Office releases details in Colusa County homicide case
PHOTO: Martin Ehrke (Colusa County Jail)
ARBUCKLE // Following the January 25th discovery of two bodies at a residence on the 6000 block of Hillgate Road and the arrest of 49-year-old Martin Christian Ehrke as the primary suspect, the Colusa County Sheriff’s Department has released additional details of the unfolding homicide investigation, including the names of the victims.
The first victim, who was found in a chest freezer in a bedroom in an attached residence on the property, has been identified as 39-year-old Kimberly Lynn Taylor.
Evidence found at the scene also prompted the Colusa County Dive Team to investigate a large pond on the property, where they discovered the submerged body of 25-year-old Jessica Lynn Mazak.
While both Taylor and Mazak were known residents, neither of them had any kind of relationship to the property owner. Investigators also reportedly discovered an illegal marijuana grow and narcotics on the property.
During the initial investigation, authorities learned that Ehrke had left the property on the night of the 24th and checked himself into Colusa Medical Center for an unknown reason. He was later found at a separate residence in Colusa on the 25th, at which point he was detained for questioning.
Ehrke has since been formally charged with two counts of homicide and is housed at the Colusa County Jail. According to the Sacramento Bee, he was arraigned at 2 PM on Friday, January 26th, and will enter a plea at his next court date on February 7th.
