Accident – Death – Obituary News :

Death of Missing Woman Found Deceased in Impounded Van Ruled Accidental by Mendocino Coroner

The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office has released a statement confirming the cause of death of 53-year-old Christine Ann Randolph, whose body was discovered under a pile of items in a van that had been involved in a wreck in Brooktrails and subsequently impounded by the California Highway Patrol (CHP) in early October. The Chief Deputy Coroner has classified her death as an accident caused by “Acute Combined Diazepam, Nordiazepam and Morphine Toxicity.”

This ruling follows a complex series of events that came to the attention of law enforcement on October 8, 2023, when the CHP was alerted to a traffic collision in the Brooktrails Subdivision of Willits, California. The collision involved a Toyota Sienna van, which was found unoccupied. Root Harvest Birimisa, a 26-year-old male from Eureka and identified as Randolph’s son, was arrested in connection with the collision. Birimisa was charged with DUI and hit-and-run resulting in property damage and booked into the Mendocino County Jail.

Birimisa had previously been arrested by the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office on September 19, 2023, for three felony offenses. On September 25, John Chiv reported on his website that the Humboldt County DA had charged Birimisa with “lewd act on a child, assault with intent to commit rape, sodomy, oral copulation, and two special allegations for sex offenses.”

Concerned family and friends reported Christine Ann Randolph missing, as she was reportedly traveling with her son. This led to a multijurisdictional effort involving several law enforcement agencies across Humboldt and Mendocino counties. The investigation ultimately resulted in a search warrant being issued for the Toyota Sienna van, leading to the discovery of Randolph’s body concealed under a pile of belongings inside the van on October 11.

According to a press release from the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office:

The interior of the Toyota Sienna van was packed with a significant number of belongings, including clothing, luggage, and living supplies. Investigators began removing the belongings and subsequently located a deceased female adult who was found in a section of concaved flooring concealed by the large number of belongings. The female adult was identified as Randolph, and the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office assumed the lead in the investigation into the circumstances of her death.

The Mendocino County Coroner’s report, which states that Randolph died from Acute Toxicity, brings a certain level of closure to the case. However, the circumstances surrounding Randolph’s body being in the van at the time of her son’s arrest remain unclear.

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