Beloved Sonoma County park ranger remembered, murder investigation continues

SONOMA COUNTY, Calif. (KGO) -- Tributes are pouring in after the sudden loss of a beloved Sonoma County park ranger. Thirty-eight-year-old Ranger Kat Pringle has been identified as the victim of a murder last week.

A sheriff's office deputy did a welfare check at Pringle's home in Hood Mountain Regional Park the day before Thanksgiving.

Rob Dillion is the public information officer with Sonoma County Sheriff's Office. "He went into the house and announced his presence. There was no response, he saw a light on in another room... to find two people dead," Dillion said.

At this point, the investigation indicates a 43-year-old man and former colleague likely shot Pringle and then himself.

Investigators have not commented on a possible motive.

"There's all the emotion that goes into a death to begin with, but then when you find that it's another employee at the county with an agency that we work closely with, it hits particularly close to home," Dillion said.

The Sonoma County Regional Parks described Pringle as "a dedicated and knowledgeable ranger who brought passion and warmth to everything she did."

Damian Evans is the president of Sonoma County Law Enforcement Association, representing 500 peace officers and public safety employees.

"She was known as -- I would say -- fearless but passionate, and she really took great pride into what she did as a ranger and advocating for her coworkers. She was also, in addition to being an EMT to respond to medicals, she was a defensive tactics instructor," Evans said.

Pringle joined the service as a park aid in 2017 and was promoted to ranger in 2018.

The association has launched a "Fund a Hero" to help Pringle's family.

"Through the Peace Officer's Association of California, known as PORAC and there basically able to give 100% of the proceeds directly to the family. And so we're trying to get that message out so that people can donate and they can help contribute and honor her memory so the family does not have to deal with that issue right now," Evans said.

To donate to the fund, click here.

Pringle leaves behind a 22-year-old son.

"When you have a single mother who is serving the public, sometimes we focus on other people and not ourselves, and she was known for that," Evans said.

Pringle's sister released this statement to ABC7:

My sister was truly a beautiful force of nature with an incredibly resilient spirit admired by all. We came from difficult beginnings, and she became a mother at a young age. Despite innumerable hardships and obstacles, she never wavered and raised an incredible young man as a single mother. She built a career where she was both well respected and loved as a park ranger here in Sonoma County. She had a lifelong passion for music, movies, writing, and philosophy that helped shape the unique and endlessly interesting person that she was. She touched the lives of so many with her quiet confidence and her deep, knowing empathy that always buoyed those in need. The world is forever a better place for having known her, and the grief her loved ones feel over her loss is beyond words.

There is also a GoFundMe, to donate visit here.