Update (08/01 5:00 p.m.) — Yreka Police said after an investigation, it became apparent to detectives that Aundrea Elizabeth Maes is not a suspect, but rather a victim in the case.
Medford, Ore. — A region wide manhunt comes to an end Tuesday morning after a shooting and kidnapping in Yreka.
Police Chief Brian Bowles said it started at the Super 8 Motel on Montague Road just after 5:00 a.m. with reports of gunfire. When police arrived they found a man with a gunshot wound to his stomach, critically injured.
“It appears it was a random act of violence or the suspect wanted something at the hotel, we’re not sure yet,” Bowles said.
Minutes later they received a call from a gas station just down the road. A man came outside the Food Mart at the Mobil station to find his car, with his family members, inside was gone.
Thankfully, those family members were dropped off at a rest stop near Weed. They were not harmed.
“It was very scary for them, one of the young men who was kidnapped was forced at gunpoint to drive the vehicle away from the area,” Bowles said.
Police identified the suspects as 31-year-old Edwin Lara, from Bend, and 19-year-old Aundrea Maes from Salem. They were found after cell phone pings led California Highway Patrol to Red Bluff, south of Redding.
Police said Lara is the suspect in Kaylee Sawyer’s disappearance. The 23-year-old went missing over the weekend in Bend. The case is now being investigated as a murder.
“We’re working closely with Bend, Oregon officials to try to put the pieces together there,” Bowles said.
Police said they’re still investigating what led up to the shooting at the motel, but the man is in critical and unstable condition at Rogue Valley Medical Center.
Lara and Maes are in the Tehama County jail facing multiple charges including attempted murder and kidnapping.
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