MENDOCINO CO., 4/24/26 — A 38-year-old woman who was fatally shot early Sunday in Covelo has been identified as Audrey Card, the Mendocino Sheriff’s Office said Thursday.
A 16-year-old boy accused of shooting Card is also suspected of assaulting one of her relatives, a 15-year-old girl, earlier the same day. The suspect had allegedly followed the girl to several locations in Covelo and shot at her from the vehicle he was driving.
When she eventually stopped, the suspect allegedly ordered her out of the car at gunpoint and assaulted her, the sheriff’s office said.
The girl was able to drive away and reported the incident to family members. Later in the morning the girl was on the phone with Card when the teen heard several gunshots in the background.
The sheriff’s office said Card, a Covelo resident, was shot about 6:15 a.m. on a dirt road near the 23000 block of Charlie Hurt Highway.
A person took the injured woman to the Covelo Volunteer Fire Department on state Highway 162 but couldn’t find emergency medical personnel. She was then taken to a nearby address on South Airport Road to summon assistance.
Sheriff’s deputies and Round Valley Tribal Police Officers performed CPR on the unconscious woman until emergency medical workers arrived. She was pronounced dead by a paramedic at 6:55 a.m., deputies said.
Acting on a tip, deputies worked with Butte County and Oroville law enforcement to search for the 16-year-old boy on Sunday night.
On Tuesday, authorities located the suspect at an Oroville restaurant. He fled from an attempted arrest but was apprehended after a foot chase.
The boy was extradited from the Butte County Juvenile Hall by Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office deputies and has been booked at the Mendocino County Juvenile Hall, officials said Thursday.
Anyone with information related to the incident was asked to contact the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 463-4086 (option 1) or call the tip line at (707) 234-2100.