WILLITS, 1/15/19 — The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office has released the name of the suspect in the murder-suicide of Krissy Orbon and her son Damian Wilkins. Evidence indicates that Michael David Wilkins, 49, killed Orbon, 32, his romantic partner, and Damian Wilkins, 8, their son, with a rifle, before killing himself, last week.
The suspect’s name had been withheld, but due to the release of Krissy Orbon’s name, many local people were already aware of the suspect’s identification, and the name had been published in a previous article about the situation.
Friends close to Krissy Orbon have described the relationship between Orbon and Wilkins as abusive, and have said that Wilkins was controlling, with Orbon attempting to leave him or escape the situation numerous times.
A memorial GoFundMe has been started for Krissy and Damian:
Here is the full press release from the MCSO:
DATE: “January 15, 2019”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Incident Number:
2019-967
Crime/Incident:
Death Investigation – Suspicious Circumstances – UPDATE 01-15-2019
Location:
5000 block of Hearst Willits Road in Willits, CA
Date of Incident:
01-10-2019
Time:
1:56 PM
Victim(s):
Krissy Lynn Orbon (32 year-old from Willits, CA)
Damian Michael Wilkins (8 year-old from Willits, CA)
Suspect(s):
Michael David Wilkins (49 year-old from Willits, CA)
Written By:
Captain Gregory L. Van Patten #1184
Synopsis:
UPDATED PRESS RELEASE (01-15-2019):
On 01-15-2019 the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office Coroner’s Division was able to locate and notify the suspect’s next of kin and as a result his identity is being released to the public.
The suspect has been identified as being Michael David Wilkins (49 year-old male from Willits, California).
UPDATED PRESS RELEASE (01-11-2019) #2:
On 01-11-2019 Sheriff’s Detectives were able to locate and notify the victim’s next of kin and as a result their identities are being released to the public.
The victims have been identified as being Krissy Lynn Orbon (32 year-old female from Willits, California) and Damian Michael Wilkins (8 year-old male from Willits, California).
Attempts are still being made to locate and notify the next of kin of the suspect (49 year-old male) and as a result his identity is being withheld at this time.
UPDATED PRESS RELEASE (01-11-2019):
Sheriff’s Detectives have concluded scene investigations which included interviews and collection of physical evidence at the residence located in the 5000 block of Hearst Willits Road in Willits, California.
Sheriff’s Detectives were able to determine the incident was the result of a murder-suicide wherein a 49 year-old male killed a 32 year-old female and 8 year-old male before committing suicide.
The murder-suicide was accomplished by use of a firearm determined to be stolen during a burglary of a nearby neighbor’s residence (the caller requesting the welfare check).
The male adult and female adult were identified as having a romantic relationship to include being the biological parents of the male child.
The Sheriff’s Office has no documented domestic violence case involving the individuals outside of this specific case.
The identities of the deceased individuals are not being released at this time due to the pending notification of the next of kin. Forensic autopsies are scheduled for 01-15-2019.
Anyone who might have information that they think would be beneficial to Sheriff’s Detectives are urged to contact the Sheriff’s Office Tip-Line at 707-234-2100 or the WE-TIP anonymous crime reporting hotline at 800-732-7463.
ORIGINAL PRESS RELEASE:
On 01-10-2019 at 1:56 PM the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office dispatch center received a call from a concerned person asking for a welfare check at a residence located in the 5000 block of Hearst Willits Road in Willits, California.
The caller arrived at the residence attempting to contact the person who was living at the location. When the person did not answer the door the caller looked through a window and noticed the presence of a large amount of blood on the floor, prompting the requested welfare check.
Deputies arrived at the residence and observed the blood on the floor as the caller had reported.
Deputies made entry into the residence where they located three deceased people and evidence suggesting the incident was homicide related.
Sheriff’s Detectives were summoned to the scene and are conducting further investigations into incident at this time with the assistance of investigators with the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office.
Updated information will be released via a press release when releasable information becomes available.
Approved by:
Captain Gregory L. Van Patten #1184