Elk Grove bookstore helps community grieve shooting deaths of mother, 2 children
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- A Seat At The Table Books in Elk Grove hosted a grief support event.
- The event honored Lindsey Peralta Vallerga and her two children who were killed.
- The mother and her children were victims in a Rancho Cordova murder-suicide.
Emily Autenrieth sees images in her mind, flashes of the smiles she remembers on her friend Lindsey Peralta Vallerga and her two children.
Those visions of happy times are what Autenrieth has used to get her through the past few days as she struggles with the anguish after Peralta Vallerga, 49, and her 13-year-old son, Colton Drake Peralta Vallerga, and her 11-year-old daughter, Sydney Anne Peralta Vallerga, were found dead in their Rancho Cordova home.
“There’s no way to understand the evil that led to that,” Autenrieth said about part of the grief process she’s been going through.
David Edward Vallerga, Peralta Vallerga’s husband, shot his wife and their two children before shooting himself, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said. All four were found dead with gunshot wounds inside their two-story house in the Kavala Ranch housing development.
Sacramento County sheriff’s officials have said homicide detectives are still trying to determine the motive behind the murder-suicide. The Sacramento County Coroner’s Office on Thursday released the names of the four family members who died. Coroner’s records list Lindsey’s last name as Burger, while her social media pages and Elk Grove business listed her as Lindsey Peralta Vallerga.
Autenrieth owns A Seat At The Table Books, which hosted a grief support circle event Thursday night for volunteers of the bookstore’s Community Initiative nonprofit. They also invited any community members who wanted to gather and honor the memories of Autenrieth’s friend and her two children.
The mother and her children were frequent visitors at the bookstore, which is in the same Elk Grove shopping center as Peralta Vallerga’s tutoring services business, Grade Power Learning.
Autenrieth remembers meeting Peralta Vallerga in 2020 when her bookstore was about to move into the Laguna Springs Drive shopping center. Grade Power Learning was already opened at that location.
“She was very welcoming,” Autenrieth said about Peralta Vallerga. “I always remember Lindsey smiling and nodding.”
Along with math, science, English, and SAT and ACT tutoring, Peralta Vallerga’s business offers support for students with ADHD. Grade Power Learning has 21 other locations throughout the country owned and operated by other franchisees.
Peralta Vallerga was the owner of Grade Power Learning in Elk Grove, where she also handled its business development and community outreach. Her husband was the center director at the Elk Grove location; they also owned and operated a franchise in El Dorado Hills.
The two Elk Grove businesses worked well together. Autenrieth was quick to recommend her friend’s tutoring services, while Peralta Vallerga hosted a shelf with books from A Seat At The Table Books.
Peralta Vallerga’s children would often come over to the bookstore when their mother was working. Autenrieth said Colton was into manga such as “Demon Slayer,” and Sydney was into adventure and fantasy novels such as the “Percy Jackson” series.
“They were beautiful. They really had great smiles,” Autenrieth said about the children. “That always made my day to see them.”
The bookstore’s nonprofit focuses on education and literacy, mutual aid and building community. About two dozen people sat together at the bookstore to share their grief.
“We need each other,” Autenrieth said about the message she wanted to share with others. “You’re not alone. We’re learning that we can get through a lot of things together.”
Amy Labowitch, who owns A.L. Resources marketing and printing business in Elk Grove, was among those who attended Thursday’s event. She knew Peralta Vallerga well through her work as the board chair of the Elk Grove Chamber of Commerce.
“She was a bright light,” Labowitch said. “She loved working with children. She was passionate about it.”
Labowitch said they also worked together in the RISE Women In Business group, which works to encourage, empower and inspire women to achieve for themselves and their businesses through connection.
Peralta Vallerga, who had hopes to expand her business, understood the importance of women business owners sticking together and help each other succeed, Labowitch said.
The shock that came immediately after learning of Peralta Vallerga’s death and her two children, Labowitch said, has been followed by another strong emotion. She doesn’t know what led to Tuesday’s shooting. Labowitch doesn’t remember the mother ever speaking about any tough situations at home; her demeanor was always happy.
“Now, to be honest, I’m angry,” Labowitch said about the murder-suicide. “Whatever you’re going to do, you go take care of it on your own. And you leave those three beautiful souls alone.”
Brittany Davis, founder of RISE Women in Business, remembered and honored her friend and fellow business owner Wednesday in a Facebook post.
“Month after month, I got to spend time with her talking business, talking motherhood and sharing real, meaningful conversations,” Davis said of Peralta Vallerga. “I admired her deeply and had so much respect for her insights on both business and motherhood. Those conversations are ones I will always cherish.”
Davis, whose daughter attended Grade Power Learning to learn how to read, said “Lindsey was incredible. She led with so much patience, compassion, and genuine care.”
She remembered Peralta Vallerga as a loving mother and a passionate advocate for children and education.
“Her loss, and the loss of her children, is a tragedy beyond words,” Davis said in the Facebook post. “My heart breaks for everyone who knew and loved her. Lindsey will be forever loved, deeply missed and always remembered for the way she showed up, the lives she touched and the love she gave so freely.”
