Son arrested for killing mom ahead of Mother's Day at Hanford home, police say

HANFORD, Calif. (KFSN) -- 45-year-old Scott Scilagyi is behind bars after allegedly taking his mother's life, 74-year-old Donna Scilagyi, right before Mother's Day weekend.

Deputies from the Kings County Sheriff's Office were called out to a welfare check on Curtis Ave in Hanford on Friday morning.

When they arrived, they found evidence of a crime.

"Eventually, her 45-year-old son, Scott Scilagyi, opened the door and allowed us into the residence to search for Mrs. Scilagyi. During that search, they did locate Mrs. Scilagyi within the home," said Kings County Sheriff's Sgt. Christopher Martin. "After speaking with Scott, it was determined they had some kind of argument, and it resulted in the death of Mrs. Scilagyi."

Scilagyi was taken into custody and is being charged with his mother's death.

The suspect is known to authorities.

In early March, police arrested him after a dangerous high-speed pursuit through Hanford.

In recent months, the Kings County Sheriff's Office says they had been called out to the home for arguments between the two.

"We have three open cases with him -- the first case is misdemeanor battery, the second case is felony criminal threats and the third case is two counts of assault with a deadly weapon and felony evasion," explains Kings County District Attorney Sarah Hacker.

Donna is described as sweet, kind and friendly by her neighbors.

She worked at the Kings County Sheriff's Office from 1999 through 2014.

She served as a detention deputy in the same jail where her very own son is sitting as an inmate.

The Kings County Sheriff's Office says the biggest takeaway from this tragic situation is to speak out if you are afraid.

"Protect your family. A lot of the time, people don't want to report things that happen at home because they are afraid of the retribution or the reality of what could happen," urged Sgt. Martin.

The suspect will be back in court on Wednesday afternoon.

This continues to be an ongoing investigation.

Anyone with information is urged to call the Kings County Sheriff's Office.

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