Calif. Mom on Video Work Call Was Killed by Husband, Who Was Later Found Dead, Leaving Son, 9, with No Parents

Authorities said investigators are “not seeking any other person of interest in this case”

A California mother was fatally shot by her estranged husband while on a video work call.

Authorities said Christopher Bird, 39, was found dead in his vehicle after he shot his 35-year-old estranged wife Ashley Bird.

Deputies responded to a call about a break-in in Spring Valley around 10:24 a.m. on April 16.

When deputies entered the residence, they found Ashley, the mother of a 9-year-old son, with “head trauma,” according to a San Diego County Sheriff’s Department press release. Authorities said deputies immediately began life saving measures, but she died at the scene.

Ashley’s younger sister Allison Saefong told NBC 7 that her sister was in a Zoom meeting and “thought someone was trying to break in, and she left, and she said, 'Hey, give me a second. Somebody is trying to break into my house.'"

Saefong said after her sister didn’t return to the Zoom call, a co-worker called Ashley's mother, and they reached out to police.

“My mom called me just before 11 o’clock, and she was hysterical, saying, 'She’s gone. She’s gone,'” Saefong said, per NBC 7. “I shouted, 'Who’s gone? Who’s gone?' She wasn’t giving me details. She said, 'Ashley. Ashley’s gone, I just know it."

Orange County Sheriff's deputies later located Christopher deceased, inside his vehicle at Calafia Beach Park in San Clemente. The manner and cause of his death will be determined by the Orange County Coroner's Office.

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Authorities said investigators are “not seeking any other person of interest in this case," per the police press release.

“The Sheriff's Homicide Unit is investigating and gathering more evidence,” according to the release. “At this stage of the investigation, the motivation and circumstances of the crime are still under investigation. There are no outstanding suspects and no apparent danger to the community.”

Saefong said Ashley and her husband were getting divorced. “We think the divorce may have sent him over the edge and then along with the custody battle that was finalizing at the end too,” she told NBC 7.

A GoFundMe page described Ashley as a “warm hearted, generous soul.”

“We thank the Lord for the life she was able to live and all the lives she was able to touch in her short time on this earth,” the fundraiser reads.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the San Diego County Sheriff’s homicide unit at (858) 285-6330/after hours at (858) 565-5200 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

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