Woman held on suspicion of murder of man, child on Barona reservation

A 32-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of murder after the bodies of a man and a child were found in her home on the Barona Indian Reservation in Lakeside, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department said Saturday.

The man’s body was found inside the home with gunshot wounds to his wrist and chest, said Lt. John Maryon. The child’s body was found “concealed in the freezer under some items of frozen foods,” he said.

No names or ages were released although hours earlier deputies had said they were searching for the woman’s 3-year-old son.

Elaina Rae Welch was booked into County Jail on two counts of murder, according to jail records.

Barona authorities had gone to the home Friday afternoon after reports of gunfire. They talked to the woman’s 32-year-old boyfriend outside the home. When the authorities started to leave, the boyfriend went back into the home and gunshots were heard.

Barona Tribal Enforcement called the Sheriff’s Department for assistance. Deputies and the SWAT team arrived within minutes. A school on the reservation was put on lockdown.

The woman left the home carrying a shotgun but dropped the weapon when ordered by SWAT deputies and was arrested without incident, officials said.

The county medical examiner will determine the cause and manner of the child’s death, Maryon said.