Man Kills His Family And Burns Half Of Yosemite Park

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Bizarre Twist To Brentwood Killings

BRENTWOOD, California -- Police believe a man suspected of killing his wife and two daughters in a Northern California suburb later committed suicide after starting a fire that burned 2,000 acres in Yosemite National Park.

Police found the bodies of Michelle Celebrini, 32, and her daughters, 6-year-old Nina Celebrini and 9-year-old Samantha Foutch, a child from a previous marriage, on Saturday. They were discovered in Brentwood, a community about 50 miles east of San Francisco.

Officials have not released the cause of death. But police believe that Richard Celebrini killed his wife and the girls.

Another daughter, Jessica Foutch, was away from home at the time, celebrating her birthday with her father in Livermore.

Later Saturday, rangers in a remote area of the Yosemite National Park's Hetch Hetchy basin found a body that they believe is that of an arsonist who started the 2,000-acre blaze.

Brentwood police Sgt. Tom Hansen said investigators suspect the body is that of Richard Celebrini. They were still waiting for a positive identification Monday from the Tuolumne County Coroner's office, where the body was sent for examination.

Autopsy results were not released Sunday, but park spokesman Scott Gediman said the suspected arsonist appears to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

On Friday, visitors told park rangers they saw a man lighting fires and brandishing a gun on a hiking trail in the Hetch Hetchy basin. The body found Saturday closely matches the description of the suspected arsonist, Gediman said.

The fire burned in rugged wilderness in the northwest portion of the park, where no structures or roads were threatened. Steady rainfall helped put out most of the fire by Sunday, Gediman said.

Richard Celebrini's mother, Helen Celebrini of San Leandro, told the Contra Costa Times that her son had lived in Brentwood for six years.

"He was a wonderful son," she said.

Neighbors in Brentwood held morning and evening vigils Sunday.

"Everyone in the neighborhood is just numb right now," said Peanut Samuda, who lives next door to the Celebrinis.

Clay Foutch, the father of Samantha and Jessica, spoke to the crowd tearfully, saying, "You all will be a big part of Jessica's healing, and I'm grateful for that."

Several neighbors described Richard Celebrini as quiet but nice, and said he visited Yosemite often.

Some acquaintances said the couple had had relationship problems.

Neighbor Michelle Larkin, whose four children were friends with the Celebrini girls, said Michelle Celebrini "was a great person who always had a great smile, and the girls reflected that -- the liveliness of their mother. They were very happy. They were always together, and they were very protective of each other."