Transient Arrested In San Rafael, Suspected In Sonoma County Homicide

SAN RAFAEL, CA — The suspect in a Sonoma County homicide investigation was tracked to San Rafael, where he was taken into custody Tuesday.

Dylan Ockerman, 27, a transient from Washington, was arrested with help from the San Rafael Police Department in connection with human remains discovered Saturday in rural, unincorporated Sebastopol, sheriff's office Spokesperson Rob Dillion said.

"Based on evidence obtained during the investigation, Violent Crimes detectives believe the human remains are those of missing Sebastopol resident Mark Sullivan," Dillion said.

Sullivan, 70, was reported missing in late August to the Sebastopol Police Department. He was last seen Aug. 24 walking in downtown Sebastopol and was considered an at-risk missing person because he suffered from dementia and possibly had diminished cognitive abilities. Shortly after Sullivan went missing, there were possible sightings of him on the south end of town in the vicinity of Fircrest Avenue and at Fast Gas, 1080 Gravenstein Highway South.

Around 3 p.m. Saturday — nearly two months after Sullivan went missing — a caller reported finding what they believed were human remains on a property in the 300 block of Sparkes Road. A deputy responded and was led to an overgrown area of the property where the remains were.

On Sunday, search-and-rescue personnel combed a substantial area for evidence.

Following a comprehensive investigation, detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Ockerman, Dillion said.

Ockerman was located and arrested in San Rafael, then brought back to Sonoma County where he was booked into jail on suspicion of homicide. He was being held without bail Wednesday and is awaiting arraignment scheduled for Thursday morning.

The Sonoma County Coroner’s Office was working diligently to positively identify the human remains as quickly as possible, Dillion said Wednesday afternoon.

The sheriff's office did not say what the evidence was that pointed to Ockerman as the suspect and Sullivan as the person whose remains were found.

Nor was it clear why Ockerman was in San Rafael.

Dillion said more information would be released when it becomes available.