Sonoma County park ranger and former ranger identified in Hood Mountain murder-suicide

Two Santa Rosa residents have been identified as the woman and man killed Wednesday in a suspected murder-suicide in rural Sonoma County, officials announced Monday.

Jasmine “Kat” Pringle, 38, and Keith Gray, 43, were found dead in the 2000 block of Weeks Ranch Road near Hood Mountain Regional Park, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office.

Pringle was a ranger with Sonoma County Regional Parks and Gray was a former ranger, said Damian Evans, president of the Sonoma County Law Enforcement Association, which represents park rangers.

The Weeks Ranch Road house is a ranger lodging located near Hood Mountain Park. According to Evans, the house was Pringle’s residence.

Pringle and Gray’s bodies were discovered during a welfare check at the home around 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday after she failed to show up for work hours earlier.

A sheriff’s deputy noted that the front door was closed but unlocked and there was a light on inside the home.

He entered the house and found Pringle and Gray in a bathroom. According to the sheriff’s office, both had been shot and a handgun was found at the scene.

It appeared Gray shot Pringle before turning the gun on himself.

The circumstances appear to point to a murder-suicide, but authorities are still investigating the deaths.

Bert Whitaker, director of Sonoma County Regional Parks, referred to Pringle as Katranne, or “Kat,” in an email to department employees on Monday.

Pringle joined the parks team in 2018 as a park assistant and became a park ranger in 2019. She worked in the Mountain Valley District and the River and Coastal Districts.

“Kat was not only a dedicated park ranger, but also a kind-hearted and compassionate person who had a significant impact on our team and the community she served,” Whitaker said in the email. “She brought passion, knowledge and warmth to everything she did, leaving a legacy of service and caring that will never be forgotten.”

Gray, Whitaker wrote, was a park ranger from 2018 to early 2023.

Counseling and support services are available to employees, Whitaker wrote.

“As we mourn, we reaffirm our commitment to creating a culture of support and safety, both in our workplace and in the broader community,” he said in his statement.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Reach Staff Writer Colin Atagi at [email protected]. On Twitter @colin_atagi.

Reach Staff Writer Emma Murphy at 707-521-5228 or [email protected]. On Twitter @MurphReports.