Escondido, CALIFORNIA — Escondido Police Department
At 9:35 PM, March 9, 2015, Escondido Police Department received information that a violent crime may have occurred at a residence on Mountain View Drive. Officers responded to the home and when there was no answer to their knock at the door, they forced entry. Once inside the residence, officers located an elderly woman, dead on the floor with massive head wound which appeared to be either caused by blunt force or a potential gunshot.
After, evidence technicians were able to fully examine the body, it was determined that the wound was caused by massive blunt force trauma and not a gunshot wound. The suspect and the victim were known to each other. The victim was known to the suspect as his adoptive mother but no biological relationship. The name of the victim will not be released until the victim’s family can be properly notified.
The initial investigation indicates the victim was likely killed by her adoptive son, Joseph Andrew Stuber. Witnesses saw Stuber leaving the home in his vehicle, driving at a high rate of speed, prior to the police being called to the scene.
Escondido Police and other county agencies searched for the suspect throughout the night using all available investigative techniques. On March 10, 2015 at about 7:25 am, Escondido Police Detectives located the suspect’s Silver Toyota Tacoma pickup truck on Stratford Court in Del Mar. Upon checking the vehicle for occupants, detectives saw a deceased subject inside the truck. The face of the body was concealed but after evidence technicians processed the scene, the identity of the body was confirmed to be that of the murder suspect, Joseph Stuber. Preliminary investigation shows that Stuber killed himself by asphyxiation.
The investigation is still in progress and if anyone has any information about this case, we encourage them to contact the Escondido Police Department.
