Memorial grows for 2 women, 3 young girls killed in Modesto
SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- Patients are speaking fondly of Amanda Crews, a well-respected and beloved physician who was found dead inside her Modesto home. Police discovered the 38-year-old, along with another woman and three young girls, on Saturday.
Outside her home someone placed a picture of her daughter, 6-year-old Elizabeth Ripley, who's one of the three children who were killed. During Monday's news conference, detectives said they had been investigating the death of her brother, Christopher Ripley, who died last year.
"In October 2014, Mr. Martinez was listed as a potential suspect in a crime report involving the death of a 2-year-old, Christopher Ripley," said Modesto Police Chief Galen Carroll. "Christopher sustained head injuries while Mr. Martinez was watching him alone at his residence."
By Thursday, police decided they wanted to get more information from 30-year-old San Jose resident Martin Martinez, but hadn't acted until Saturday afternoon.
That's when police were called to Crews' home by her friends because she missed a lunch date. When officers arrived they found her and four others, including two of her own children, dead inside.
Lots of the candles and flowers placed outside the home are from people who first met Crews because she was their physician. But over time, she became a friend.
Jennifer French tells ABC7 News that Crews helped her through the last 11 years, managing her son's cerebral palsy since he was born. A recent move made things especially difficult, and Crews had strong advice.
"I was very sad and upset and I went to her and she said, 'Jennifer, if I can deal with my son dying, you can deal with your depression,'" French said.
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Crews' workplace, Scenic Faculty Medical Group, issued a statement on Monday saying, "Dr. Crews was a beloved part of our care team. We are grieving deeply. We have known her since she joined the physician residency program as a young doctor and blossomed into a highly respected member of the Scenic Faculty Medical Group teaching family."
Their office was closed on Monday. A security guard there said it was because of Crews' death.
Martinez has not been charged in either crime. Authorities are still working to transfer him from Santa Clara County to Stanislaus County.
