Detectives arrest Lodi man accused of killing Northern California elderly couple
Detectives have arrested a man accused of murder in the deaths of an elderly couple who were found dead in their home by their grandchild last week in an unincorporated area of Lodi, according to the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office.
Christopher Lee Holland of Lodi made his first appearance in San Joaquin Superior Court on Wednesday. Holland, 53, has been charged with two counts of murder in the deaths of the couple, said Deputy Alan Sanchez, a spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office.
James Reiswig, 77, and Mary Reiswig, 76, were found dead in their home Dec. 17 in the 5000 block of West Kingdon Road, according to San Joaquin County Medical Examiner’s Office Administrator Paul Graves. The Medical Examiner’s Office has not released the cause of death.
Detectives have determined that a gun was involved in the deaths of the Reiswigs, Sanchez said. Detectives believe this double homicide appears to be “an isolated incident,” according to a news release issued Wednesday afternoon. The killings did not “seem to be a random crime,” sheriff’s officials said.
Sanchez said investigators found a connection between the suspect and the victims, but that connection was still under investigation. He said detectives were still following multiple leads in the homicide investigation.
San Joaquin Superior Court records online show a “Stephen Reiswig” sought to obtain a restraining order against a Christoper Lee Holland to stop harassment with violence in November 2018. It was unclear if the restraining order is connected to the deaths of the Reiswigs.
Sanchez said detectives found information early in the investigation leading to several searches, including a home along School Street in Lodi.
The sheriff’s SWAT team served a search warrant at the home several hours after the couple was found dead. Sanchez said detectives have declined to discuss what was found at that home.
The couple was found shortly after 8 a.m. on Dec. 17 at their home in a rural area east of Interstate 5 and south of Highway 12. Sheriff’s dispatchers received a call from a person who had just walked into the home and found the elderly couple unresponsive. The Sheriff’s Office launched a homicide investigation into their deaths that morning.
Investigators asked anyone with information about these deaths to call the Sheriff’s Office at 209-468-4400 and reference case number 20-27003.
This story was originally published December 23, 2020 at 11:35 AM.
