Anthony Yates
Vallejo officers made a grim discovery while working a missing person’s case earlier this week. Their investigation led them to a “concealed” attic entry where they found a body.
Videos by Rare
What happened: According to a news release by the Vallejo Police Department, officers received reports about a missing 28-year-old woman, Renia Lewis.
- During the investigation, officers entered a home in the unit block of 14th Street in Vallejo. They discovered some evidence that Lewis may have been in the building before she went missing.
- Investigators reportedly entered the residence to perform a welfare check. They conducted a “cursory search” of the rooms, closets, and anywhere someone could hide, but did not find anybody.
- The search continued, and on September 30, the Detective Division’s investigation led them back to the house. Authorities say detectives were granted a search warrant to examine the property thoroughly. “During this search, they discovered a concealed entry into the attic,” per the news release.
- Officers reportedly found a deceased female inside, and suspect she’s the missing woman.
Officers Have Made An Arrest In Connection With The Case
The Vallejo Police Department reveals they identified 41-year-old Vallejo resident Douglas Irwin Shaw as a potential suspect. Law enforcement arrested him at work without incident.
- The news release explains that Shaw confessed to detectives in a statement. Authorities booked him into Solano County Jail on a murder charge. According to CBS News, police are holding him without bail. It remains unclear how he was connected to Lewis or what his motive was.
- ABC 7 spoke to Jakeem Green, Lewis’s cousin. He explained that his family had been looking for her since they filed the missing persons report. He told reporters outside the house, “The last location was here. And her last ping right here. But we still looked in the area. We looked in garbage cans. We looked everywhere.”
- Neighbors reportedly told the outlet that the house has been boarded up for a while. Authorities allegedly believe the suspect lived in a detached unit in the backyard.
- Police Chief Jason Ta said, “This was a heartbreaking, senseless act of violence that has no place in our community.” The police news release concludes that this is the fourteenth homicide in Vallejo this year.
