Politics & Government

Collier and Rakov Identities Confirmed in Fiery Deaths in El Cajon

A murder-suicide is confirmed by autopsies, using dental records.

Two bodies have been formally identified as those of Kevin Collier and his mother-in-law, Beverli Rakov. Collier is reported to have taken his own life. The toddler found fatally shot in a pickup truck outside the home has been confirmed as Collier's daughter, Rhilee Jean Collier. Rhilee and Rakov's deaths have been ruled homicide.

At the time of the Aug. 21 incident, the bodies in the home in the 1,000 block of Prince Street were burned so badly they could not be identified, El Cajon police said. However, in a news release late Friday, the department stated that the bodies were those of Collier and Rakov and that the county medical examiner used dental records to identify them.

According to the medical examiner, Rhilee, Rakov and Collier all died of gunshot wounds to the head. Collier's was determined to be self-inflicted.

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Collier, 32, was a 1997 graduate of Ramona High School and had family living in Ramona. At the time of the incident, it was not known whether he had fled the scene. Law enforcement wondered whether he may have driven up to Ramona. However, as the El Cajon house was further investigated the following day, police came to believe Collier died in the home.

Collier's wife, Alyssa Collier, had filed for divorce four days before the deaths. It's reported that she had asked for custody of their daughter after a marriage of 18 months.

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Police officer Jarred Slocum, who was at the El Cajon standoff, sustained a bullet wound to the head after gunfire erupted from inside the home. He is reported to be recovering following surgery.


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