On a late Friday afternoon, June 26, 2026, the quiet of Sills Road in Arbuckle, California, was broken by a grim discovery. Responding to a report of a possible deceased person at approximately 4:53 p.m., deputies from the Colusa County Sheriff's Office arrived at a scene that would soon become the focus of a major investigation. They found two men, both unresponsive and bearing what appeared to be gunshot wounds. The victims were pronounced deceased at the scene, launching a double homicide investigation. The two men were later identified as 48-year-old Jason Edward Carr of Dunnigan and 36-year-old Richard Leon Mathies Jr., a resident of Yolo County.
The Colusa County Sheriff's Office, with assistance from the Colusa County Task Force and criminalists from the California Department of Justice, immediately began the arduous task of processing the crime scene and piecing together the events that led to the deaths of Carr and Mathies. Detectives worked through the night, meticulously collecting evidence and conducting interviews in their search for leads. While the circumstances surrounding the killings remained under investigation, authorities assured the public that they did not believe there was an ongoing threat to the community. Friends and family of Jason Carr were left devastated by the sudden and violent loss, remembering him as a generous man who was always willing to help others. A GoFundMe was organized to help his family with the unexpected funeral costs and to support his children.
As the investigation continued into July, no suspects had been publicly identified or arrested in connection with the double homicide. The Colusa County Sheriff's Office urged anyone who might have been traveling on or near Sills Road on Thursday, June 25, or Friday, June 26, and who may have seen anything suspicious, to come forward. The case of Jason Edward Carr and Richard Leon Mathies Jr. remains an active and open investigation. The narrative of their final hours is one that law enforcement is still working to write, a story that, for now, concludes with more questions than answers as they seek to bring justice for the two men whose lives were cut short by violence.
