Police believe fatal crash somehow connects to earlier killing

A fatal crash on U.S. Highway 101 in Petaluma early Friday is linked to the killing of a woman at another location in the city but police haven’t revealed how the deaths are connected.

The crash took place soon after 1 a.m. Friday, when a northbound Harley Davidson motorcycle hit a southbound Honda Fit head-on. The motorcycle driver, a 34-year-old man, was killed.

A passerby pulled the driver of the Fit, a 24-year-old woman, from the burning car. She suffered major injuries but is expected to survive, Petaluma Police Lt. Ed Crosby said.

About 40 minutes later, Petaluma police received a “citizen’s request” to check on the welfare of a woman who lived in the 700 block of Sixth Street. There, officers discovered a dead 28-year-old woman, Crosby said.

Crosby said:

“The totality of circumstances suggests the death on Sixth Street and the fatal accident on the freeway are related events.”

Crosby said no additional details about the deaths — including why police believe they are related — will be released because the investigation is ongoing and the Sonoma County Coroner’s Office has not yet notified next of kin.

Other agencies involved in the investigation are the California Highway Patrol and the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office.

Crosby said it’s believed that there are no outstanding suspects and no outstanding threat to the community.

Anyone with information about either death investigation can contact Petaluma Police Detective John Silva at (707) 778-4532.

Bay City News

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