Thomas Russell Ocheltree, a San Francisco man, his wife, Paula Truong, and two children were found dead in a suspected murder-suicide in the Westwood Highlands district.

 

A family of four was in serious financial problems.An adult man, his two young kids, and an adult woman were discovered dead at a San Francisco home earlier this week, possibly as a result of a murder-suicide attempt.

During a requested welfare check Wednesday afternoon, the bodies of all four victims, thought to be members of a 'family unit', were discovered at a property on the 900 block of Monterey Boulevard in the Westwood Highlands region.

According to family relatives, a wife in San Francisco killed her father, children, and then herself. 


Authorities on Thursday identified the deceased as, Thomas Russell Ocheltree, 57 along with the man’s two daughters, Alexandra Ocheltree, 12 and MacKenzie Ocheltree, 9. A fourth person, believed to be the father’s partner and the childrens mother was also found deceased, Paula Truong, 53.

Officials said the causes and manners of death are still pending at this time. However, a relative of one of the deceased told KRON4 that Thomas Russell Ocheltree and his two young daughters were victims.

‘My brother and his two precious daughters were victims of a horrific crime,’ Bob Ocheltree told the outlet on Friday. ‘Our family is shocked and devastated as you can imagine.’

The family member did not describe the woman, Truong, as being a victim in the incident according to the outlet. 

San Francisco family of four were immersed in financial troubles 

The family were likely experiencing financial troubles. The family in 2022 took out a $2.24 million mortgage against their $1.3 million estimated home according to The San Francisco Chronicle. 

Court documents obtained by ABC7 showed the family Montery Boulevard home had been in foreclosure since February 12, 2024. The family were at the time more than $212K in mortgage payments behind. Other documents showed the family had been in default since March, 2022.

The home went on to be sold at a public author in September of last year.

Records showed the couple had previously owned ‘Orbit Cafe,’ a location which had previously had 3 locations in Oakland now closed.

The San Francisco Fire Department responded to the home in the city’s Westwood Park neighborhood at around 1:25 p.m. Wednesday. The San Francisco Police Department, which has turned the investigation into the deaths over to its homicide unit, is calling the death’s ‘suspicious.’