One person stabbed to death in Winton

One person was killed Monday afternoon in Winton, the apparent victim of a stabbing, the Sun-Star has confirmed.

Deputies were called just before 2:40 p.m. to California Street, just north of Walnut Avenue, where they found one adult victim.

Sheriff Vern Warnke confirmed that the victim has been pronounced dead, marking the first homicide of the year in an unincorporated area of Merced County.

“The suspect is still outstanding,” Warnke said at 4:12 p.m. A description of the attacker was not available.

Warnke told the Sun-Star that investigators believe the homicide may be tied to a domestic violence issue and said they do not suspect any gang connections “at this time.” He stressed that the investigation still is in its early stages and things could change.

The sheriff said it was too early to release any further details regarding the victim, including gender.

It is the fourth homicide of 2017 in Merced County. Homicides have been reported in Merced, Dos Palos and Los Banos.

Nine homicides were reported countywide in 2016, marking the lowest number of violent death investigations since 2001. Last year’s homicide numbers were a significant departure from the three years prior to 2016, each of which recorded 30 or more homicides.

This is a developing story. Click this link for the latest updates.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Merced County Sheriff’s Office at 209-385-7445.

This story was originally published February 20, 2017 at 3:02 PM with the headline "One person stabbed to death in Winton."