Child Sexual Abuse Case in West Marin Leads to Apparent Suicide by Suspect

A child sexual abuse case at a rural home west of Novato culminated Wednesday with what appears to be the suicide of an adult male, the Marin County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday.

Deputies met with a representative with the county’s Child and Family Services division at a home in the 5000 block of Chileno Valley Road following a report that ongoing sexual abuse of a child had been taking place, according to Sgt. Gary Wilbanks. Investigators concluded that an 8-year-old girl who lived at the home was being abused by a man who lived there.

At 6 p.m. Wednesday, deputies and detectives went back to home to arrest the suspect and heard a single gunshot while they attempted to contact him, according to a release. Deputies entered the home and found the man with a single bullet wound. He died as an air ambulance was being summoned, Wilbanks said.

An autopsy is pending.

The home is approximately 17 miles northwest of Novato in rural Marin County and about 11 miles from downtown Petaluma.