Mari Bonnici Obituary, Death; – On Sunday, a deputy from the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office shot and killed the mother of his three children before taking his own life during a standoff, as reported by Santa Rosa Police on Monday.
The off-duty deputy, identified as 44-year-old Jeremy Lyle, allegedly murdered his former partner around 7 p.m. while she was at home, according to Santa Rosa police. Following the incident, he knocked on a neighbor’s door within the same apartment complex, handed over a baby, and informed the resident that the child’s mother was injured, police stated.
The neighbor promptly called 911, and upon the arrival of officers at the Quigg Drive apartment complex, they discovered a woman unresponsive on her living room couch. The victim was identified as 38-year-old Mari Bonnici.
Bonnici was a mother of three and worked as a detention specialist with the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office, according to police. The infant handed to the neighbor, along with twin toddlers found in a back bedroom, are believed to be the children of Bonnici and Lyle, police reported.
Fortunately, the children were unharmed and are currently in the care of family members. After giving the baby to the neighbor, Lyle left the scene, and during the search for him, police discovered he was an off-duty deputy. He was located shortly after 7:30 p.m., parked in the lot of the Sonoma County Coroner’s Office.
Lyle was seen standing on the bed of his truck and engaged in a standoff with officers and deputies until approximately 2 a.m., when he fatally shot himself, according to police.
Authorities indicated that Lyle and Bonnici had been in a domestic partnership but were separated at the time of the incident.
This tragic event marks the city’s third murder-suicide in 2025 and its ninth homicide, as reported by police.
