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PD: Son now suspect in dad's girlfriend's murder

Posted at 6:53 PM, Mar 28, 2016
and last updated 2016-03-29 05:03:43-04

The 17-year-old son who contacted police regarding a home invasion is now considered a suspect in the stabbing murder of his father's girlfriend Darlene Renner, police reported. 

Authorities were told Renner's boyfriend's son saw an unknown man on top of Renner, striking or stabbing her on March 17 . It is unknown if Renner was sexually assaulted by the suspect who stabbed her to death, police reported. 

Chief Deputy Orvis Campbell said a 911 call came in around 4:10 a.m. on March 17 regarding a disturbance at a mobile home in Midvale Estates, a small town just east of New Philadelphia. The caller was a 17-year-old boy who lived in the home. 

There was only one other person in the house--the boy's father's girlfriend, identified as Renner, 39. When the boy entered Renner's bedroom, he told authorities he saw an unknown man on top of Renner, striking or stabbing her. In a 911 call, the boy can be heard saying that there was "blood everywhere."

The suspect froze when the boy saw him, police were told, and then attacked the boy. He said in a 911 call that he hit the suspect with his gun and punched him. Then the suspect escaped, got into the boy's father's truck, and took off. Isaac's father was not home at the time. 

Police said the shotgun the boy had was not fired. The intruder did take the gun away from him, but left it behind in the home. Police do not know what item was used by the intruder to stab Renner. 

Authorities said on March 21, the Sheriff's Office found clothing, other articles, and a possible murder weapon from the Midvale area. The recovery was possible due to an alert passerby who noticed some items along the road about 2.5 miles from the murder scene.