In the late afternoon of March 1, 2018, the life of 39-year-old Hispanic female, Teresa Meraz Cisneros, was tragically cut short in a vineyard in Prosser, Washington. A mother of six, she was discovered by her 21-year-old son at approximately 6:44 p.m. in a vineyard located on North Hinzerling Road. She had been shot multiple times and was already deceased when she was found.
Lying near her was her estranged husband, 46-year-old Heriberto Martinez-Sanchez of Mabton.
He was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound and was unresponsive but still alive. Emergency medical personnel transported him to Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland, where he later succumbed to his injuries and died the following day. The Benton County Sheriff's Office investigated the case as a murder-suicide, concluding that Martinez-Sanchez shot and killed Meraz-Cisneros before turning the gun on himself.
Further investigation revealed a history of domestic troubles. Meraz-Cisneros had obtained a protection order against her husband in Yakima County the previous July. This order, intended to be in effect for 50 years, prohibited Martinez-Sanchez from having any contact with her and also legally barred him from possessing or purchasing a firearm. In the wake of her violent death, a fundraising effort was initiated to help her six children, who ranged in age from 6 to 23, with the unexpected financial burden of funeral expenses.
