PHOENIX - Officials with the Navajo County Sheriff's Office said an arrest has been made in connection with the death of a Pinetop woman in late November.
What we know:
In a statement released on Dec. 23, the suspect was identified as 63-year-old Michael Abatti of El Centro, a community located in California's Imperial County. Abatti was taken into custody on the same day the statement was released.
Investigators said they served "multiple search warrants on residences, properties, vehicles, and camp trailers associated with the Abatti family" in El Centro on Dec. 2.
"Detectives worked with multiple police agencies in the state of Arizona and in the state of California to develop information and evidence leading to probable cause to believe that Michael Abatti traveled from the state of California on November 20, 2025 to Pinetop, Arizona, where he is believed to have shot and killed Kerri Ann Abatti, and then immediately returned to California."
The backstory:
We reported on the murder of Kerri Ann Abatti on Dec. 5.
Navajo County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Brian Swanty said on the night of Nov. 20, first responders were sent to the victim's home, after a family member inside the home called 911.
When crews arrived, Swanty said they found the victim suffering from a gunshot wound.
"She was pronounced deceased while en route to the hospital," Swanty said.
Court documents show Abatti and Kerri Ann were going through divorce proceedings.
What's next:
Abatti, per the statement, was indicted by a grand jury in Navajo County, and was booked into the Imperial County Jail in California on First Degree Murder charges.
The Source: Information for this article was gathered from a statement released by the Navajo County Sheriff's Office, with supplemental information