PINETOP, Ariz. — Authorities have identified the woman killed in Pinetop last week as 59-year-old Kerri Ann Abatti, according to the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO).
Deputies responded at approximately 9:20 p.m. on November 20 to a home near Bruin Way and Branding Iron Loop, where they discovered Abatti deceased from a gunshot wound. She was found inside the family’s $1.6 million residence in Pinetop last Thursday shortly after 9 pm.
Investigators have ruled the death a homicide.
In its latest update, the Sheriff’s Office said the area is safe and open to the public, and there is no current threat to the community. Multiple law enforcement agencies are assisting, and detectives continue interviewing neighbors and reviewing evidence gathered from the scene.
“The investigation remains active and ongoing,” NCSO spokesperson Tori Gorman said in a written statement, adding that additional details will be released only when they do not compromise the case.
Kerri Ann Abatti was born to the Penrod family in Pinetop, Arizona, where several family members still reside and are active in the community.
Kerri will be missed by her family and friends.
“We will miss her,” said a family member.
Michael and Kerri Abatti, are known for their ties to Southern California’s agricultural industry and philanthropic contributions to higher education.
In legal filings seen by the outlet, Mike himself said he personally owns farms stretching to some 7,000 acres. Abatti is one of the area’s most successful farmers with 20,000 acres under cultivation in California.
A few hundred landowning families dominate the Imperial Valley and its lucrative agriculture industry, which produces much of America’s winter vegetables, and Abatti is one of them.
Mike Abatti Farms has been in the agriculture industry for over 100 years.
Both Kerri and her husband donated over $50,000 to San Diego State University, which now offers a scholarship in their name at its Imperial Valley campus.
Kerri previously sat on the El Centro Board of Commerce in Arizona.
Authorities have not released any information on suspect[s] or motive.
Residents who heard or saw anything unusual near Bruin Way and Branding Iron Loop on the evening of November 20 are urged to contact the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office at (928) 524-4050.
This story will be updated as information comes in.