Mother Of Three Dead After Thanksgiving Murder-Suicide At California Motel, Authorities Say

Authorities have identified the victim of a murder-suicide that occurred on Thanksgiving Day.

Mayra Uriarte, 36, was shot and killed by the father of her child, Hector Manuel Altamirano Martinez, 37, according to the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office. The suspect then turned the gun on himself.

Authorities say Martinez was from Mexico.

According to a GoFundMe page created to raise funds for Uriarte’s funeral, the couple had been previously married.

“We unfortunately lost a daughter, sister, and mother of three,” said the fundraiser’s creator, Cristina Ayala-Arriaga. “We lost her unexpectedly on Thanksgiving Day through a very tragic event – she was a victim of a murder-suicide at the hands of her ex-husband.”

Uriarte, who is from West Valley City, Utah, was described as a “very strong, independent, single mother raising her three young daughters.”

Mayra Uriarte Photo: Facebook

Detectives responded to the Best Western Motel at approximately 11:10 a.m. on Nov. 25 in Goleta, California, according to the sheriff’s office's original release. Upon arrival, deputies found the couple suffering from apparent gunshot wounds.

Both parties were transported to area hospitals. Martinez was pronounced dead at 11:44 a.m., while Uriarte died at 3:40 p.m., according to the sheriff’s office. Both died of single gunshot wounds.

Detectives with the sheriff’s office say there are no other suspects in their investigation.

“My heart is devastated, my daughter’s life was taken,” Uriarte’s mother wrote in Spanish on Facebook. “Now you are with God, beautiful daughter, I will never forget you, and I will always have you in my heart. I love you very much, daughter.”

The victim’s family, Best Western, and Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to requests made by Oxygen.com.