Deputies will do DNA tests to determine killer of family in California

DNA tests aim to identify Calif. family killer

SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. — Authorities are conducting DNA tests to determine if a woman who lost custody of her two children is responsible for killing her family in a murder-suicide.

The Orange County sheriff’s office says it is unclear whether Elizabeth Fontaine, a Texas attorney, or her mother Bonnie Hoult was responsible for the shootings Monday in an upscale home in San Clemente.

Both were found dead along with 4-year-old Catherine and 2-year-old Julia after Fontaine failed to show up for a custody hearing.

Sheriff’s spokesman Jim Amormino says investigators found a handgun between the women’s bodies and will examine any DNA evidence on the weapon to identify the killer.

A judge had gave temporary custody of the children to Fontaine’s sister.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. (AP) — A Texas attorney involved in a bitter custody dispute was ordered to return to a Southern California court Monday afternoon with her two young daughters. She never made it.

The bodies of 38-year-old Elizabeth Fontaine, her daughters, 4-year-old Catherine and 2-year-old Julia, and her mother, 67-year-old Bonnie Hoult, were found in an upscale Orange County home later Monday in a murder-suicide. All had been shot to death.

Forensic tests are needed to determine which of the two women pulled the trigger, sheriff’s spokesman Jim Amormino said.

Fontaine appeared in court Monday morning and was ordered to return with the children later that afternoon so the girls’ maternal aunt could take temporary custody. Authorities responded to the red-roofed, yellow stucco house when they did not show and found a bloody scene: Four bodies, each with one gunshot wound, in a first-floor hallway.

Amormino said investigators spoke to the father, Jason Fontaine, and do not consider him a suspect. The father, who divorced the children’s mother, was not at the home, authorities said.

“He’s traumatized,” Amormino said. “He’s coping with it the best he can.”

A message left with his attorney by The Associated Press was not returned Tuesday afternoon.

Elizabeth Fontaine moved to Houston a month ago with her daughters, but they returned to California after their father requested a custody hearing, according to court documents and authorities. Neighbors said the family and the mother were staying at a friend’s home when the killings occurred.

Investigators were still piecing together what happened, but they believe the child custody dispute may have been a factor, Amormino said.

The deaths stunned the neighborhood of 42 luxury houses overlooking a golf course. The homes, with four to six bedrooms, sell for more than $1 million each, and Amormino said the area has a “very low” crime rate.

“It’s very shocking,” said next-door neighbor Rebecca Vandehei, who lit a stick of incense on her property in memory of the children.

“I did a prayer. … I wanted to try to help,” she said.