A medical aid call at an El Paraiso Avenue home led deputies to arrest a 67-year-old man after a woman was found dead.
SACRAMENTO, CA — A 67-year-old Sacramento man was arrested on suspicion of murder after his 56-year-old former wife and current partner was found dead inside a South Sacramento home, turning what began as a late-night medical aid call into a homicide investigation.
Sacramento County sheriff’s officials said Wendell Celestine reported finding the woman unconscious at a residence in the 4900 block of El Paraiso Avenue at about 11 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23. Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District personnel initially responded to provide medical assistance, but the circumstances they encountered prompted them to request law enforcement.
Fire personnel observed signs of trauma on the woman and also saw broken glass and damaged furniture inside the residence, according to authorities. Sheriff’s officials said those conditions were consistent with a possible physical altercation. The woman was pronounced dead at the home. Her name had not been publicly released as of Sunday.
Sacramento County sheriff’s deputies arrived after being contacted by fire personnel and detained Celestine at the scene. Homicide detectives and crime scene investigators then assumed control of the investigation. Authorities said detectives later arrested Celestine and booked him into the Sacramento County Main Jail on a murder charge. Sheriff’s officials said he was ineligible for bail.
Investigators said Celestine and the woman had previously been married and later divorced. They had since resumed a romantic relationship and were dating at the time of her death, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Authorities have not publicly described what may have happened before emergency personnel were called to the residence.
The death has drawn attention in the surrounding South Sacramento community, where local reporting described residents as shocked by the homicide investigation. The case began as a request for medical help rather than a reported assault, and the presence of apparent trauma and damage inside the home led first responders to seek a law enforcement response.
Officials have not released the woman’s cause of death or provided a detailed account of the evidence that led detectives to arrest Celestine. No motive has been announced. Authorities also have not said whether investigators believe anyone else was present during the events that preceded the medical call.
The Sacramento County Coroner’s Office is expected to release the woman’s identity under its standard procedures. Until that identification is made, authorities have described her only as a 56-year-old woman who had previously been married to Celestine and had later resumed a relationship with him.
The homicide investigation remains active as detectives work to establish the circumstances surrounding the woman’s death. Celestine remains in custody, while the exact cause and manner of death and other details about what occurred inside the El Paraiso Avenue home have not been publicly disclosed.
Author note: Last updated October 25, 2026.