SANTA ROSA — A quiet northeast Santa Rosa block turned into a crime scene before dawn Tuesday when neighbors woke to gunfire. Inside a home on Cecilia Drive, police found 47-year-old Mollie Schefer shot to death on the stairs.
Officers were called around 4:30 a.m. after multiple shots were reported. When they arrived, the back gate was open, the sliding glass door shattered. Neighbors said they hadn’t seen anyone leaving.
Police sent in a drone to check the first floor and saw a grim scene — one dog dead, another wounded. Once inside, they found Schefer with two gunshot wounds to the chest. She was the only person in the house.
Detectives say the evidence points to a targeted attack, not a random break-in. That’s little comfort to residents who woke to sirens and crime-scene tape in a part of town where people usually worry more about traffic than violence.
Santa Rosa police are asking for help from the public. Anyone with information can call the violent crimes tip line at 707-543-3590 or use the city’s online portal. A reward of up to $5,000 is on the table for tips that lead to an arrest.
For neighbors, it’s a chilling reminder that even in a city as familiar as Santa Rosa, violence sometimes comes to your own street.
