Six found dead in Garner Valley home

By: KELLY BRUSCH - Staff Writer | Wednesday, May 11, 2005 12:02 AM PDT ∞

GARNER VALLEY ---- A predawn emergency phone call Tuesday led deputies to a gruesome discovery at a home in this small, tight-knit community: Six people had been shot to death, five of them apparently while they slept in their beds.

At 4:33 a.m., a Riverside County 911 dispatcher heard the sound of breathing from the caller, then the sound of the phone hitting the wall. A gunshot was heard next, then silence.

Spurred by the call, deputies navigated winding mountain roads leading to the Garner Valley ranch home of David McGowan off Devil's Ladder Road, in the foothills 30 miles northeast of Temecula.

There, they discovered the man ---- an investigator with the county district attorney's office ---- and five others with bullets in their heads, said Riverside County Sheriff Bob Doyle on Tuesday. Deputies arrived at the scene at 5:10 a.m., almost 40 minutes after dispatchers received the phone call.

McGowan, 44, a five-year veteran of the Indio office, was found near the entrance to the home with a handgun nearby. Three children ---- a 14-year old boy and two girls, 8 and 10 years old ---- were found undisturbed in their beds. Two adult women also were found in their beds, Doyle said.

He would not rule out a murder-suicide, but said the investigation into the killings was in its "infancy" and detectives have not reached firm conclusions about the case. He did say that they were not seeking any suspects outside the house and that "the community is in no danger."

Doyle said he was unaware of McGowan taking any unscheduled time off from work before the slayings, however, a source who asked not to be named said McGowan took last week off, seeking to "sort through things," but couldn't be more specific.

The source said that McGowan was a religious man, "always had a smile on his face and treated people well."

Doyle said employees with the district attorney's office are struggling with the news their colleague is dead.

"Emotionally, it is very tragic," he said. "It hits home."

Authorities did not identify the other five people found in the home. However, a letter sent home with children who attend Hamilton School, which serves Garner Valley, said McGowan's wife, Karen, and their children Chase, eighth grade, Paige, fourth grade and Rayne, second grade, died in the home.

At a press conference staged near the McGowans' sprawling 4.5-acre property, Doyle said there appeared to be no signs of struggle within the home and no evidence anyone broke in.

As detectives struggle to piece together what happened, residents say they're struggling to grasp how one of the town's families could be dead.

The letter sent home with area students was signed by Hamilton Principal Jackie Price. It states that members of the Hemet Unified School District's crisis team were on campus Tuesday to speak with students who may need help dealing with the deaths of their peers.

"We will miss the children greatly," the letter states. School officials directed comment to the Sheriff's Department.

Roger and Leanna Condon, who live a few homes down from the McGowans, said they didn't hear anything early Tuesday morning.

Roger Condon called the family quiet, and said they stayed to themselves.

"It's a saddening thing," he said. "It's hard to understand."

Public records show David and Karen McGowan bought the property and 3,331-square-foot home for $425,000 in 2000. The community, dotted by sprawling ranches and the occasional general store, is mostly quiet, and one longtime resident said the incident Tuesday is the worst by far in memory.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. Contact staff writer Kelly Brusch at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2626, or kbrusch@californian.com.

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