The following is a press release issued by the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office The information has not been proven in a court of law and any individuals described should be presumed innocent until proven guilty:
On 08-02-2022 at 2:05 AM Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office Deputies were dispatched to a possible domestic violence incident occurring in the 1700 block of North State Street in Ukiah, California.
Upon arrival, Deputies located Sally Arellano and Edward “Two Feathers” Steele standing in the parking lot of a closed business.
During a subsequent contact, Deputies developed information which led to the arrest of Arellano for a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence battery.
At the time of her arrest, Arellano stated her children were at a motel approximately .5 miles away while being cared for by a babysitter. The children were not present during the domestic violence incident and were not with her at the time of her arrest.
Deputies learned Arellano and Steele had been engaged in a romantic dating relationship for the past several months.
Sally was subsequently booked into the Mendocino County Jail and was later released on bail on 08-03-2022 at approximately 5:00 AM.
Sally was able to make a telephone call prior to and after being booked into the Mendocino County Jail.
Ongoing investigations into this incident developed information that Steele had assumed care of the children from the babysitter after Arellano’s arrest.
During the morning of 08-03-2022 Steele left the children unattended near the railroad tracks near the 300 block of Brush Street in Ukiah. Thereafter, the one-year-old child was found deceased and the two-year-old child was found with a life-threatening medical emergency.
On 08-04-2022 at 12:25 PM Hopland Tribal members contacted the Sheriff’s Office and reported a sighting of Steele on the Hopland Rancheria.
Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the Hopland Rancheria and located Steele shortly thereafter. Steele was detained and investigators were notified.
Subsequent investigations lead to Steele being booked into the Mendocino County Jail on charges of murder and violation of PRCS (Post Release Community Supervision). Steele is currently being held on a No Bail status.
The Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the public, specifically Hopland Tribal members, for their assistance in helping locate Steele.
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Why isn’t the babysitter being charged? Who gives a guy like that, probably drugged out of his mind two babies at 4 in the morning to take off walking with? These babies were 1 and 2 years old and left on the railroad tracks. What an awful disgusting place for anyone to die, let alone a precious one year old. Where is the rest of this baby’s family? I can’t believe no one else cared enough to step up and take these kids. Was the babysitter sick of caring for them and told this creep to come take them? Why couldn’t the MCSO deputy allow her to make arrangement for these kids? Let me see, she is staying at Motel 6 with these kids and you arrest her in front of Motel 6 or next door at the gas station? What an awful ending to a short life that doesn’t seem like it was that good.
Was there even a babysitter? Were the children in reality left alone??
Seriously the police department should have checked on these two children knowing that they just detained their mother. In a way I would feel that the police department has a part in that child death. The police knew there were two children half a mile away and that they were arresting those children’s mother. It should be protocol that in situations like that, police check on the children. Was there even really a babysitter in the first place?
So very very sad. What a guy