Campo

A woman was apparently beaten to death Sunday by her estranged husband, who then shot himself, a San Diego County Sheriff’s Department spokesman said.

Sheryl Ann Salazar, 29, of Barstow was found dead in a Campo home belonging to the parents of her husband, Joseph Melicio Salazar Jr., 36, who was found dead in the same room, the spokesman said. Although the coroner’s office has yet to complete an autopsy on the two, it appears Mrs. Salazar died of repeated blows to the head and Mr. Salazar died a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the spokesman said.

Sheriff’s deputies arrived at the house at 1:40 p.m. Sunday after receiving a report of a domestic disturbance, the spokesman said. The deputies found two small children in the front yard of the residence, the spokesman said.

The deputies tried to summon Mr. Salazar but, receiving no response, they called the Sheriff’s Department’s hostage unit. After the hostage negotiator tried to contact Salazar again by bullhorn, members of the hostage unit lobbed tear gas canisters inside the house and entered, finding the two bodies, the spokesman said.

Sheriff’s deputies believe Mrs. Salazar had agreed to meet with her estranged husband at his parents’ Campo home so that he could see their two children, the spokesman said.