Coroner still unable to identify woman killed in Gurley Lane Thursday morning fire in Mendocino
(
(Mendocinocoast.news has identified the victim as someone who owned a business in Mendocino at one time and still worked there. My wife and I have seen there for many years. When I get to someone who wishes to remember her and I am sure all family notification is complete, I will publish the name. I am interested in profiling the victim, as I believe everyone deserves a story when a life is suddenly lost Please contact me if you have information on this person. I apologize for having nothing more than the statement from Monday and the press release. Press releases are really an awful way to report but Id like to remember her. I can take info off the record also.)
As of Monday morning, the Mendocino County coroner’s office has not been able to identify the remains of a woman who died in a fire last Thursday in Mendocino. The tragedy got no media coverage other than press releases issued later. We would like to find who this person was, what the cause of the fire was and tell her story and any cautions for home fire prevention we can manage. The press release below says there is no sign of criminal activity, nor any accelerants, so the cause appears to be something accidental.
“The decedent has not been positively identified yet, but we are hoping to work with a forensic odontologist to attempt comparison with dental records. If we are unsuccessful in that effort, we will have to rely on DNA testing, which can take much longer,” Quincy Cromer, spokesman for the MCSO, said.
On June 12, 2025 at approximately 1:25 a.m.., Deputies with the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office were advised of a fully-involved structure fire in the area of Gurley Lane in the township of Mendocino. Deputies responded from the area of Highway 20 in Fort Bragg.
Initial reports indicated a female occupant was residing in the dwelling, but it was unknown if she was still inside the residence. Sheriff’s Deputies responded code 3 (lights and siren) from the Fort Bragg area and arrived within minutes. Upon arrival, Deputies observed a single-story dwelling fully engulfed in flames. Due to the intensity of the heat and active fire, Deputies were unable to safely approach the burning structure without risking injury. As fire department personnel and equipment arrived on scene to extinguish the blaze, over two-thirds of the structure had already been consumed by fire. Fire department crews worked vigorously to extinguish the flames and protect a second dwelling on the property that was only feet away.
As fire crews continued to extinguish the fire and sift through the burned debris, the body of a deceased person was discovered buried beneath burned material near one of the entrances to the structure. Due to the condition of the decedent’s remains, investigators have been unable to positively identify the victim at this stage of the investigation.
Sheriff’s Deputies requested a fire investigator from the Ukiah Valley Fire Authority to assist in determining the cause and origin of the fire. The fire investigator arrived on scene just before sunrise on June 12, 2025 to begin his investigation. It was determined later in the morning by the fire investigator that there was no evidence of criminal activity related to the fire and no evidence of any fire accelerants. The official cause and origin of the fire are still being investigated.
This incident is still under investigation and pending identification of the decedent and notification of the next of kin. An autopsy is being scheduled for this coroner’s investigation to determine the official cause and manner of death.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation is requested to contact the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch Center at 707-463-4086 (option 1). Information can also be provided anonymously by calling the non-emergency tip-line at 707-234-2100.
