Cops Find Dead Woman at Actor's Home. Then, a Shootout

Police say Ron Ely's wife was killed by the couple's son
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 16, 2019 9:30 AM CDT
Updated Oct 16, 2019 5:00 PM CDT
Woman, Murder Suspect Dead at Home of Actor
Ron Ely sits for an interview in 1992.   (YouTube)

Two people were killed Tuesday at the California home of actor Ron Ely, who's described as safe and uninjured. Deputies responded to a call about a family dispute at the home in the Santa Barbara suburb of Hope Ranch around 8:15pm to find the body of an elderly woman, who'd apparently been stabbed, CNN reports. Authorities announced later Wednesday that the victim was Ely's wife, Valerie Lundeen, and she was killed by the couple's son, Cameron, who was shot dead by several responding deputies. The armed individual had posed an immediate threat once discovered hiding in the home, Lt. Erik Raney of the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Office said, per KABC. Reporters at the scene heard "over a dozen shots fired," per KEYT.

The outlet reports a disabled elderly man at the home was taken to a hospital for evaluation; CNN reports his "speech was impeded because of a medical condition." That may have been the 81-year-old actor, who TMZ reports was home at the time; authorities say Ely is safe and sound. Ely is perhaps best known for playing the lead role in TV's Tarzan in the 1960s, but he also appeared in Fantasy Island, Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze, and The Love Boat, per IMDb. Ely's most recent role was in the 2014 Lifetime movie Expecting Amish, reports USA Today. He'd previously retired from acting in 2001, per KABC. (More homicide stories.)

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