Monica Coates Obituary, Death; – A woman was tragically killed on Monday when her husband crashed a truck into her residence in Bay Park, igniting a small fire. San Diego police identified her on Tuesday, along with her spouse.
Authorities reported on Monday that the victim was 61-year-old Monica Coates, who had called 911 to inform them that her husband, 62-year-old Stephen Coates, was the driver involved in the incident. According to police, Monica had a temporary restraining order against her husband.
San Diego Police Officer Paige Foster stated that a call was received at 7:38 a.m. on Monday after a white Toyota Tacoma collided with the house, ultimately coming to a stop inside the residence located at 4312 Dakota Drive at Fontana Avenue.
“Numerous neighbors reported a traffic accident, a vehicle driving into a house,” Foster remarked. “Upon arrival, officers discovered a deceased woman inside the home.”
Police indicated on Monday that a neighbor had heard screams emanating from the house following the crash.
“I observed several individuals throwing rocks at the windows. Some neighbors were attempting to intervene to stop [the driver],” neighbor Glen DeBarge recounted to NBC 7 on Monday.
When officers arrived eight minutes after the 911 call, they noticed smoke from a small fire and entered the building, where they found Monica, who had suffered burns, deceased in the master bathroom. Investigators also located Stephen there, who had also sustained burns.
Stephen was initially taken into custody on suspicion of deliberately crashing into the home, and the incident was being treated as a homicide investigation. He was transported to a hospital for treatment following the incident, according to police. However, on Tuesday, police announced that he had been arrested and would face charges for murdering his wife and for starting the fire in the home.
Neighbors reported that Stephen had recently moved out due to experiencing physical and mental health challenges. They also informed police that the couple had two college-aged sons who had recently celebrated Christmas by visiting their mother at the residence.
One neighbor, Nancy Allan, mentioned that the Coates family, who lived next door, had been experiencing difficulties in recent weeks, and it seemed that the husband had moved out.
