​Family Member Arrested In Killing After Cause Of Death Is Revised

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — A Santa Rosa man was arrested Saturday in the killing of his 94-year-old father-in-law after the older man's cause of death was revised from natural to intentional.

Khanh Trong Tran, 71, had reported finding Sy Van Nguyen unresponsive Monday, the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office said.

Personnel from the Sheriff's Office and Sonoma County Fire District responded to the residence in the 5800 block of River Road where Nguyen was declared dead.

"At that time, there were no signs of trauma or foul play, and his body was released to the family," the Sheriff's Office said in a press release.

However, on Friday, "deputies received evidence indicating the death was not natural, but instead an intentional killing," according to the Sheriff's Office. The nature of the evidence, or how it was discovered, wasn't disclosed.

Investigators obtained an arrest warrant for Tran, Nguyen's son in law, and served a search warrant at the River Road property where both men lived in separate residences, but Tran was gone, the Sheriff's Office said.

Detectives and patrol deputies searched extensively for Tran and found him about 4:15 a.m. Saturday inside a vehicle in the 1700 block of Marlow Road. He was accused of murder and was held in custody without bail, the Sheriff's Office said.

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