Deputies: Woman fatally stabbed, suspect tries to commit suicide

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A call for help led deputies to a bloody crime scene near Hanford, where a man is accused of stabbing a woman to death and trying to take his own life.

When Kings County Sheriff's deputies arrived at a house on Jackson Avenue near 15th around 7 a.m. Sunday, they found a woman bleeding out and a man next to her covered in blood. The woman was pronounced dead. The two allegedly were leaving a party early Sunday morning when they started arguing. Then someone from the party found the suspect and the victim.

"At that point that's when the gruesome discovery was made. We also were informed that the male suspect attempted to commit suicide by trying to stab himself, slashing his neck," said Kings County Assistant Sheriff Dave Putnam.

The victim is 44-year-old Mary Mejia. She was stabbed in the neck at least once. But right now, investigators don't know what led to the homicide.

"We're still trying to figure out what their relationship is -- if they're boyfriend and girlfriend, husband and wife, if they had children together," said Putnam.

The suspect isn't cooperating with investigators. He has been receiving treatment at Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno and is expected to survive. Once he's released from the hospital, likely on Monday, he'll be booked on murder charges.

"We're actually waiting until we can book him into the jail so that we can live scan him and get fingerprints. Not sure exactly what his name is," said Putnam.

It's unclear if drugs or alcohol played a role in this brutal crime.

Putnam says they likely won't make any further arrests, but they still have at least 20 witnesses from the party to interview.