Police Investigating Possible Murder

[UPDATE, 3:30 p.m.]: Police spokesperson Sgt. Riley Harwood said Wednesday afternoon that the suspect, whose name is still being withheld, has been booked in County Jail on murder charges. His bail is set at $1 million. Harwood called the killing an “incident of domestic violence” and said the female victim, who has also not been publicly identified, had experienced such violence before. He declined to go into detail, but said at least one previous incident was reported and that authorities believe other incidents went unreported. The 2-year-old daughter of the suspect and victim is being cared for by Child Welfare Services, Harwood said. A family member has been contacted, but they live far out of the area, he explained.

[ORIGINAL REPORT]:A 39-year-old Santa Barbara man is in custody after officers responded to reports of a domestic disturbance early Wednesday morning and found a 39-year-old woman dead in the apartment, according to SBPD spokesperson Sgt. Riley Harwood.

At around 1:40 a.m., officers went to the 500 block of West Los Olivos Street after a neighbor called about yelling and pounding at a nearby residence. When officers went to that apartment, they found the man inside and the woman deceased inside, Harwood said. Police also found a two-year-old present but unharmed; the child is now being cared for by Child Welfare Services. Harwood said the man and woman weren’t married and had ties to the apartment but may not have both lived there. Details surrounding the woman’s cause of death aren’t being released at this time.