Marysville man, 78, arrested in death of woman found in burned motor home

A 78-year-old man has been arrested in the death of a woman whose body was found in a burned recreational vehicle at a Yuba County mobile-home park Thursday night.

Ronald Allen Dainauskus was arrested on suspicion of homicide and arson. He and the victim were neighbors at the mobile home park in the 3700 block of HIghway 20, northeast of Marysville, according to a Yuba County Sheriff’s Office news release.

The sheriff’s dispatch center received a 911 hang-up call from the mobile-home park about 8 p.m. Thursday. While deputies were being dispatched, the California Highway Patrol received a 911 call from the same phone number reporting that a woman was dead inside a motor home at that location, the news release said.

When deputies arrived, they found the RV on fire. Once the fire was extinguished, the woman’s body was discovered inside. The woman showed signs of serious injuries suffered before the fire, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Investigators believe the initial 911 calls were made by Dainauskus, who was not at the scene when deputies arrived. Deputies searched the area after the fire and body were discovered and located Dainauskus walking near Browns Valley.

Dainauskus was a longtime resident of the mobile-home park. Investigators believe he and the woman were associated with each other and are not aware of any history of problems or hostility between the two, the news release said. The Sheriff’s Office reported that it had no prior arrests for Dainauskus.

The woman’s cause of death is pending an autopsy, the news release said. Her name is being withheld until family members are notified..

This story was originally published November 17, 2017 at 5:52 PM with the headline "Marysville man, 78, arrested in death of woman found in burned motor home."