Kathleen Karen McGehee, 55, was allegedly killed by her 26-year-old son Dawson inside her Golden Pond Drive home early Monday evening.

Justin, 28, the oldest son, spoke briefly late Tuesday morning in front of the northwest Manteca residence saying his mother’s death was a severe loss to family and especially to those she comforted after they suffered abuse. 

“She was always pouring her life into people and her dying right now is essentially like a star athlete retiring at the height of their game,” he said. “So we are very blessed that those were her final set of involvements. The contact that each of us had the last time we were here was all a very special moment for each one of us.”

Justin said his dad Thomas A. McGehee was out of the country on business and was on an airplane Tuesday morning on his way back home from China.  He added that he could not comment on his brother.

The Manteca woman’s body was discovered by officers shortly after 6:15 p.m. Monday after a family member called police asking them to do a welfare check on her safety and her condition.  Patrolmen called detectives to the scene who were followed by California State Department of Justice (DOJ) crime scene analysts.

The woman’s 26-year-old son Dawson was located by officers at about 1:30 a.m. driving his 1997 Nissan Altima near the intersection of North Main Street and Louise Avenue where he was stopped and taken into custody without incident.

Dawson was transported to the Manteca Police Department where he was interviewed by detectives and later booked into San Joaquin County Jail in French Camp where he is being held on a murder charge without bail.

Manteca police and state investigators worked throughout the night and into the predawn hours Tuesday gathering evidence. They left the scene at about 6 a.m. after nearly 12 hours in the investigation with no rest as they started their day.

Kathleen McGehee reportedly lived in a new residence in the 800 block of Golden Pond Drive for about a year having moved from San Leandro and prior to that had lived in Oak Park, IL.

Dawson McGehee is scheduled to appear in the Manteca Branch of the San Joaquin County Superior Court on Thursday at 1:30 p.m.