In the quiet, rural setting of Penokee, Kansas, the life of Efren Lloyd Mascarenas Sr., a 52-year-old Caucasian male, came to a tragic and violent end on January 4, 2018. On that Thursday afternoon, a 911 call was placed to the Graham County Sheriff's Office at approximately 3:30 p.m., reporting an unresponsive male at a residence in the countryside.
When emergency medical services and law enforcement officers arrived at the scene, they discovered a grim reality: a double homicide had occurred.
Inside the home, authorities found the bodies of Efren Mascarenas Sr. and his 28-year-old stepdaughter, Christin Marie Cantrell. Both were residents of the home where they were found deceased. The initial investigation by the Graham County Sheriff's Office and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation quickly pointed to a person of interest who was close to the victims.
Investigators identified 29-year-old Efren Mascarenas Jr., the son of Efren Sr. and the stepbrother of Christin, as the suspect in the double murder. This revelation triggered a manhunt for Mascarenas Jr., who was believed to be armed and dangerous. Law enforcement agencies from multiple counties, including the Hill City Police Department and the Kansas Highway Patrol, joined the search. Residents in the surrounding areas of northeast Graham, southeast Norton, southwest Phillips, and northwest Rooks counties were urged to lock their homes and vehicles as the search intensified.
The search for the suspect concluded tragically but without further harm to the public. On the morning of Friday, January 5, 2018, authorities announced that Efren Mascarenas Jr. had been found dead in northeast Graham County. A preliminary autopsy later revealed that he had likely died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation confirmed that the tragic event was a murder-suicide, with Efren Mascarenas Jr. having killed his father and stepsister before taking his own life.
