The evening of September 6, 2025, in Reedley, California, ended in sudden rupture for a family when 43-year-old Yesennia Rocha, a woman and mother, was shot multiple times in front of relatives near Parlier and Frankwood Avenues. She was Hispanic/Latina. Police identified the suspected gunman as her estranged husband, 43-year-old Michael Rocha, who fled the scene in a Chevy pickup as a memorial began to grow at the intersection where grief and shock took root. The victim, Yesennia Rocha, 43, was publicly named by local authorities and family members, who described the woman as “the light of our world.”
In the hours after the killing of Yesennia Rocha, 43, law enforcement launched a manhunt that stretched into neighboring Tulare County. By Sunday, September 7, deputies located Michael Rocha near Woodlake; during a pursuit, officials say he fired a rifle at them before stopping near Road 222 and Avenue 340. When Michael Rocha exited the truck and allegedly continued shooting, deputies returned fire and struck him; he was pronounced dead at the scene. The officer-involved shooting is being investigated by Visalia Police, while Reedley Police are leading the homicide investigation into the death of Yesennia Rocha, 43, a woman.
Friends and relatives gathered at a vigil days later to remember Yesennia Rocha, 43, a woman whose children said she was everything to them. Family members recounted that the couple had been married for 25 years but had recently separated, and that Yesennia Rocha, 43, had filed for divorce about two months earlier. In interviews, Michael Rocha’s mother said her son “couldn’t cope” with the separation, a sentiment echoed in coverage that traced the tragedy from the family gathering to the fatal encounter with deputies. The loss left the couple’s two adult children without both parents within twenty-four hours.
Authorities have not announced any arrests in the killing of Yesennia Rocha, 43, a woman. The only named suspect was Michael Rocha, who died in the deputy-involved shooting the day after the homicide. Public records and memorial listings affirm the date and place of death for Yesennia Rocha, 43, and local reports make clear that the criminal case will proceed without an accused in custody.
