Covelo woman shot to death Sunday; in separate case, Covelo man out on bail arrested for Friday robbery
Authorities say details of Sunday’s Covelo homicide are being withheld to protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation.
The case began shortly before 6 a.m. on April 19, when deputies were dispatched to what quickly became a homicide investigation.
A 38‑year‑old Covelo woman, identified by tribal police as Audrey Card, was shot several times at an address off Charlie Hurt Highway and then placed in a private vehicle and taken toward the Covelo Fire Department. The distance is about a half‑mile. The station was unstaffed when they arrived, so the driver continued on to a residence on South Airport Road and contacted the Sheriff’s Office at 6:13 a.m.
Sheriff’s deputies arrived first, along with Round Valley Tribal Police officers, and the two agencies worked together to perform CPR on the unconscious woman while also calling 911. CPR requires rotating rescuers to maintain effective compressions, and responders traded off as they continued efforts to revive her. The ambulance arrived soon after, but a paramedic ended resuscitation attempts and pronounced her dead at about 6:55 a.m.
Deputies said several people were attempting to help when they arrived, though it remains unclear why no one called 911 immediately. And while it is not unusual for a volunteer fire station to be unstaffed at 6 a.m., Covelo residents have raised concerns that there is no way to summon firefighters from outside the building.
“Fire hall needs to improve a doorbell system, alarm or intercom. Something.” said Felisa Fina on Facebook.
Colibri LIbre replied
” A phone to call 911 would be helpful, perhaps.”
We confirmed these details Monday with Sheriff’s Office spokesman Quincy Cromer. We first heard the call on the scanner, and soon after Redheaded Blackbelt reached Sheriff Matt Kendall and published the initial verified report. We credit Redheaded Blackbelt for breaking the story.
Mendocino Action News posted unverified scanner traffic on Facebook, including license plates and other identifying details about potential suspects. Publishing raw scanner information can compromise an active investigation and risk misidentifying individuals. Law‑enforcement agencies routinely caution that scanner traffic is preliminary and often incomplete.
Cromer said deputies initiated a homicide investigation at the scene and summoned the Sheriff’s Office Investigations Bureau. Detectives then took over the case, assuming primary responsibility for the investigation into the death of the 38‑year‑old woman.
“Numerous interviews have been conducted and search warrants have been authored and served related to this active investigation. Additional information is not being released at this time to maintain the integrity of the information learned by investigators and law enforcement personnel,” Cromer told us in an email interview.
We obtained these details Monday from Sheriff’s Office spokesman Quincy Cromer. We first heard the call on the scanner, but after Redheaded Blackbelt reached Sheriff Matt Kendall and published the first confirmed report, we chose to wait for official information rather than amplify unverified traffic. Scanner audio is often incomplete and can include names, license plates, and other details that investigators have not yet confirmed. Publishing that material can jeopardize a case and misidentify innocent people. If there were an immediate public‑safety threat — a hazardous‑materials spill, an active search, a mass‑casualty situation — authorities would alert the public, and we would report it quickly and verify as we go. For routine criminal investigations, we will continue to use the scanner as a tip line, not a news source, and confirm information before publishing.
In cases like this, the rush to publish unverified scanner traffic isn’t public service — it’s voyeurism. Don’t reward it. Don’t support it.
Anyone with information related to this investigation is requested to contact the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch Center at 707-463-4086 (option 1). Additional information will be released as this investigation progresses.
The Round Valley Police Department has also kept the facts close to the vest but issued an important statement this morning:
Today our community is grieving the loss of another native woman taken too soon.
In the Early hours of April 19th, first responders answered a call that no family should ever have to experience. Despite immediate efforts to provide lifesaving care, a life was lost to senseless violence. A tragic act that has now left a family without a mother, a loved one, and a community member who mattered.
This is not just an isolated incident. This is part of a larger crisis impacting indigenous communities everywhere. The ongoing epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.
We stand with the family of Audrey Card during this unimaginable time. We also stand with all families who have suffered similar losses, whose voices deserve to be heard, and whose loved ones deserve justice.
These lives are not statistics. They are mothers, daughters, sisters and relatives.
Support one another! Justice matters, awareness matters, our people matter.
Respectfully,
The Round Valley Tribal Police Department.
From our reading of the map, Hurt Road is outside the reservation in the town of Covelo. It’s also called D Road.
On Facebook Janice Freeman said
“My Cousin. May She Walk in Peace and Beauty in Her Journey. Prayers for Cuzin Len and Momma Joanne. Losing 2 Children in such a short time is Nothing Wished on No one.”
We were able to confirm that Audrey Card was 38 years old and we spent sometime looking at the outline of court files. Suffice it to say Card never seems to have faced charges for a violent crime or anything involving weapons.
Cromer did issue a press release for an unrelated case in Covelo that took place Friday, well before the homicide.
A 28 year old Covelo man out on bail for a felony case is accused of entering the house of a 27 year old man in the 76000 block of Henderson Lane in Covelo at 2:43 a.m, assaulting the man and leaving with a 21-year old woman. Raymond Bowes was arrested on assault, robbery and charges of committing a crime while out on bail.
The case was initially reported as a kidnapping of the woman. Officers soon determined she was not kidnapped. The person who made the report was not involved and the person assaulted had not called 911 but when officers arrived he told them.
“The victim reported that Bowes entered his residence, physically assaulted him, and stole personal property. Sheriff’s Deputies observed the male victim had injuries consistent with the reported assault and located corroborating evidence at the scene,” the press release said.
Sheriff’s Deputies, after working through the rest of the nighttime morning hours and all day, located the 21-year-old woman, who had initially been reported as being kidnapped, at a residence on Biggar Lane in Covelo. She said that the kidnapping report was inaccurate and stated she was not injured.
“Deputies also located Bowes at the same residence. Bowes provided a statement that was inconsistent with information obtained from other witnesses and the physical evidence gathered during this investigation. Sheriff’s Deputies further observed that Bowes had injuries on his person consistent with being the primary aggressor in a physical altercation, the press release said.
“Bowes was arrested for 211 PC – Robbery, 460(a) PC – Burglary, 12022.1 PC – Felony offense committed while released on bail. Bowes was booked into the Mendocino County Jail, where he is being held in lieu of $125,000 bail.”
We found several cases in court files. He was last in jail on Feb. 23, when he bailed out on a felony charge of resisting arrest. He faces a jury trial in that matter on June 8.
Editors note- Covelo is notorious for bad cell reception. Although cell phones are supposed to work for 911 that was NOT the case with Frank’s Xfinity Cell phone when he tried to call 911 to report a woman jumping in front of cars in Cleone a few years ago.
