On Thursday, November 7, 2019, at approximately 6:54 p.m., Simi Valley Police Department Officers and Ventura County Fire Department personnel responded to a Welfare Check at a residence located in the 500 block of Fairfield Road. According to the reporting party, who resides at the location, he returned home after work and found an unidentified female subject lying on the kitchen floor in a pool of blood.
Rescue personnel arrived at the scene first and contacted the reporting party. They entered the residence and determined that the female subject, later identified as 58-year-old, Esperanza Guadalupe Cullen, a Las Vegas resident was deceased. During this time, the reporting party noticed that there was a message written on an upstairs bedroom door stating, “bomb inside don’t open explosion.” The rescue personnel and the reporting party immediately evacuated the residence due to their concern there was potentially an explosive device in the house.
The SVPD SWAT Team, SVPD Crisis Negotiation Team, SVPD Bomb K-9 Unit, and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department Bomb Squad responded to the scene. When they arrived, the Crisis Negotiation Team and SVPD Detectives developed information regarding who resided at the location. It was determined that the household consisted of a married couple and their 33-year-old nephew, later identified as Michael John Cullen. The Crisis Negotiation Team was able to contact the female party who is married to the reporting party, but was unable to contact Michael Cullen. It should be noted that Michael Cullen’s bedroom door had the message regarding the bomb written on it.
As the investigation continued, the SWAT Team and the Bomb Squad entered the residence with a robot in order to search for a possible explosive device and determine if there was a suspect inside. During the search, personnel found Michael Cullen deceased with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound inside his bedroom. The family dog also had been shot and killed. The personnel determined that there was not an explosive device at the location.
At this point of the investigation, it appears that Esperanza Cullen and Michael Cullen had a dispute inside the residence. Detectives have not determined the nature of the dispute. During the dispute, Michael Cullen shot and killed his mother, Esperanza Cullen, and the family dog before killing himself. There is no outstanding suspect or additional victims in this case.
Michael Cullen and Esperanza Cullen’s photographs are attached to the Nixle.
Commander Steve Shorts
Public Relations Bureau
Media Contact: (805) 501-3070
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