“The Sandlot” star Marty York’s mother, Deanna Esmaeel, was murdered in her own home, TMZ reported Friday.
Esmaeel — a sheriff’s deputy — was found dead Thursday inside her home in Crescent City, Calif., according to the outlet.
On Friday, the Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office, where Esmaeel worked, put out a public alert in hopes of tracking down alleged suspect Daniel James Walter — her boyfriend.
Investigators told TMZ that Walter — who has recently adopted a new name: Edward Patrick Davies — is the suspect in Esmaeel’s murder.
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The alert noted that authorities were able to locate Walter’s vehicle, though the 54-year-old is still on the loose.
“We are all deeply heartbroken with the loss of Deputy Esmaeel,” Sheriff Scott, who worked alongside Esmaeel at the Del Norte Sheriff’s Office, said in a statement, per TMZ.
“Our hearts and prayers go out to her family, friends, and co-workers,” the officer added.
Esmaeel’s 43-year-old actor son, York — best known for playing “Yeah-Yeah” in 1993’s “The Sandlot” — reacted to his mother’s death in a social media post on Friday.
“This is the hardest post I’ll ever have to write but I found out from the sheriff department last night that my mother was murdered by a man she was seeing,” he claimed in a photo caption.
“The emotions I have are horrible right now between rage, vengance [sic], crying,” York elaborated. “There is a nationwide manhunt underway, please if you’ve seen this man contact the authorities immediately!”
A rep for York didn’t immediately respond to Pvnew’s request for comment.
