16‑year‑old Covelo boy arrested in Oroville in fatal shooting of 38‑year‑old woman amid reported violence toward former 15‑year‑old girlfriend
A 16‑year‑old Covelo boy was arrested by Oroville Police after a foot chase from a restaurant at about 11 a.m. Tuesday. He is accused of killing a 38‑year‑old woman, apparently as part of a violent campaign directed at a 15‑year‑old Covelo girl he had been dating. A previous attack on the girl had not been reported to law enforcement.
The boy’s name is not being released because he is a juvenile. Round Valley Tribal Police identified the 38‑year‑old victim as Audrey Card in a statement they issued, but the Sheriff’s Office has not yet released her name or provided additional information beyond the press release issued Tuesday afternoon.
Card is reportedly related to the 15‑year‑old girl. Based on the sequence described in the press release, investigators believe her killing may have been an act of retribution by the 16‑year‑old boy.
The 16‑year‑old boy reportedly drove around Covelo firing out the window as he looked for the girl and chased her. He ultimately attacked her. Later, while the girl was on the phone with Audrey Card, she heard gunshots. Investigators later determined that the shots she heard were the rounds that struck Card multiple times.
The attack on the 15‑year‑old girl occurred late Saturday night or into early Sunday morning. Detectives initially secured a warrant for the boy’s arrest on stalking, battery, and related criminal charges based on the early evidence. As the investigation progressed and the homicide was discovered, those charges became part of a broader case that ultimately led to the intensified search for him.
After the homicide, investigators tied the boy to the case and the search intensified. The Sheriff’s Office traced him to Oroville and notified law‑enforcement agencies there, who quickly joined the effort. Around 11 a.m., Oroville Police spotted the boy at a local restaurant. A brief foot chase followed, officers closed in, and he was arrested.
The Sheriff’s Office will not—and under law should not and cannot—release the names of the 15‑year‑old girl or the juvenile suspect. State confidentiality rules strictly protect the identities of minors in cases involving violent crime, and the agency is bound to follow those requirements without exception.
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The District Attorney, however, has separate discretion under California law. He may identify the boy or seek to move the case into adult court if the statutory criteria are satisfied, including the severity of the offense and the findings of the ongoing investigation. Any such decision would come only after a formal review of the case file and the circumstances surrounding the homicide.
Here is our initial story, which includes the full press release along with additional facts we confirmed about the homicide.
Here is the newly released section of the press release. It covers the facts we reported above—condensed, and with several details added from information we verified independently.
During the homicide investigation, Sheriff’s Detectives identified a 16-year-old male juvenile from Covelo as the suspect in the shooting. It was also determined that the male juvenile was previously in a dating relationship with a 15-year-old female juvenile from Covelo. There was a domestic violence incident involving the male juvenile and female juvenile which was unreported to law enforcement.
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During the early morning hours of Sunday 04/19/2026, the female juvenile was driving a vehicle in Covelo and was being chased by a vehicle being driven by the male juvenile suspect. The suspect followed the female juvenile to numerous locations in Covelo and was reportedly discharging a firearm out of the vehicle he was driving. The female juvenile eventually stopped the vehicle and the male suspect approached and ordered her out of the vehicle at gunpoint. The female juvenile was physically assaulted by the male juvenile suspect and was in sustained fear for her safety. The female juvenile victim was able to drive away from the incident and reported the details to other family members.
https://www.arcsaulttribe.com/awareness-blog/october-is-domestic-violence-awareness-month-1
Later in the morning hours of 04/19/2026, the female juvenile victim was on the phone with a family member, who was the 38-year-old female from Covelo, CA. The female juvenile heard several gunshots in the background while on the phone, which was determined to be the shooting where the 38-year-old female was murdered.
By connecting the earlier domestic violence incident between the male and female juveniles with the ongoing homicide investigation, Sheriff’s Detectives developed probable cause that the 16-year-old male juvenile was responsible for the shooting death of the 38-year-old female on a dirt road near Charlie Hurt Highway in Covelo.
Sheriff’s Detectives determined the 16-year-old male juvenile was responsible for numerous crimes earlier in the morning of 04/19/2026 involving the female juvenile during the domestic violence incident. An arrest warrant was sought and authorized for the male juvenile suspect for the following charges:
646.9 PC – Stalking
422 PC – Criminal threats
243(e)(1) PC – Domestic battery
Investigators received information indicating the male juvenile suspect left the Covelo area and was possibly in the Oroville, CA area in Butte County. Sheriff’s Detectives coordinated with law enforcement in Butte County and the Oroville Police Department to attempt and apprehend the male juvenile pursuant to the arrest warrant. During the evening of 04/19/2026, Investigators and Butte County law enforcement personnel searched numerous locations and interviewed possible witnesses in the Oroville area but were unable to locate the male juvenile suspect.
On 04/21/2026 at approximately 11:00 A.M., Sheriff’s Detectives received information from the Oroville Police Department regarding the whereabouts of the male juvenile suspect. Oroville Police Officers located the male juvenile at a restaurant in Oroville. When attempting to arrest the male juvenile, he fled the location. After a foot pursuit, Oroville Police Department Officers were able to apprehend the 16-year-old male juvenile without further incident.
News article on: intimate violence
The male juvenile suspect is being held at a juvenile detention facility in Butte County pursuant to the arrest warrant issued during this investigation. Investigators are facilitating the extradition of the male juvenile to Mendocino County where he will be booked at the Mendocino County Juvenile Hall.
Additional charges are being sought against the 16-year-old male through the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office related to the homicide investigation.
Names of the involved juveniles will not be released as juvenile names and records are exempt from public disclosure.
A forensic autopsy has been scheduled for the 38-year-old female homicide victim, and additional information to include the decedent’s name will be released as this investigation progresses.
Editor’s Note: We are choosing not to report the relationship between the two victims, and we urge other media to show the same restraint. On permanent news platforms, that detail lives forever. Facebook may disappear into the feed, but published reporting does not.
Anyone with information related to this incident is requested to contact the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office at 707-463-4086 (option 1). Information can also be provided anonymously by calling the non-emergency tip-line at 707-234-2100.
