Suspect in Elk Grove double homicide that killed estranged wife, boyfriend dies

Michael Diego, the man accused of fatally shooting his estranged wife and another man in an Elk Grove home, died Thursday at a hospital, police announced.

Diego, 39, never regained consciousness after authorities found him unresponsive in a ditch Tuesday in the Valley Hi/North Laguna section of Sacramento. Investigators believe he likely died from a drug overdose, the Elk Grove Police Department said in a statement.

“Detectives were informed that Diego never did regain consciousness and died,” the statement read.

The violent events began Monday morning, when officers responded about 11 a.m. to a home near Eva Avenue and Adams Street following reports of gunfire. Inside, police found Serina Ernestina Silvestre, 37, and Miguel Samuel Rodriguez, 38, both with gunshot wounds. They were pronounced dead at the scene.

Silvestre, of Elk Grove, was identified as Diego’s estranged wife by police.

Family members described her to ABC10 as a mother of four who worked tirelessly for her children.

“Serina was more than a victim — she was light, love, and strength,” friends wrote in a GoFundMe page created to support her children. “She worked hard to give her children the life they deserved. She had dreams, laughter that could fill a room, and a heart that never stopped giving.”

Friends on social media said that Silverstre and Rodriguez, better known as Mikey, were in a relationship.

“They were so in love. It was like it was like watching two teenage kids in love. We literally cannot separate them,” his sister, Devina Reyna, told Fox40 during a candlelight vigil for the two on Wednesday. She told the TV station that Rodriguez had two children of his own.

According to Sacramento Superior Court records, Silvestre filed for legal separation from Diego in November.

Police said that Diego shot the couple and fled in his vehicle just before 11 a.m., which police later found abandoned near Calvine Road and Excelsior Road. Investigators learned that an unsuspecting citizen later gave Diego a ride to south Sacramento and dropped him off near Cosumnes River Boulevard and Bruceville Road.

Just after 3 p.m. Monday, fire crews responded to a call about an unresponsive man in a nearby ditch. Diego was taken to a hospital, where a law enforcement officer assigned to the facility recognized him and notified detectives.

Police said the case remains under investigation.

Authorities continue to urge anyone with information to contact Elk Grove police at 916-714-5115 or Sacramento Valley Crime Stoppers at 916-443-4357. Tipsters may remain anonymous and could be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.