Students from Orville Wright Elementary were moved to La Loma Junior High during the police response.
MODESTO, Calif. — A deadly stabbing near an elementary school Thursday forced a campus lockdown and student relocation after police found two women and an infant fatally wounded inside a Modesto home.
The attack led to a large response in the airport neighborhood, where officers searched for a suspect while school officials moved children away from the scene. Police later arrested Joaquin Escoto, 28, who they said was found hiding in a nearby home. Investigators said Escoto is believed to have shared a child with one victim.
Police said officers were called shortly after 9:20 a.m. to Monterey and Thrasher avenues for a disturbance. At a home in the 1600 block of Monterey Avenue, they found a woman in her 20s suffering from multiple stab wounds. She died at the scene. A later search of the residence found a woman in her 50s and an infant, both with apparent stab wounds. The woman died at the home, and the infant died after being taken to a hospital.
A child about 4 years old was also inside the home and was taken to a hospital for evaluation, police said. Officials did not say whether the child was injured. The victims’ identities had not been released by Thursday evening. Authorities said the Stanislaus County Coroner’s Office would handle formal identification after relatives were notified.
As officers worked near the school, Orville Wright Elementary was locked down. Modesto City Schools then moved students and staff by bus to La Loma Junior High School, where parents and guardians were reunited with them. Police said the step was taken because the investigation and suspect search could keep officers in the area for an extended time.
Police said officers set up a perimeter after receiving information that the suspect might still be close to the crime scene. SWAT officers, hostage negotiators and detectives joined the response. Escoto was later taken into custody without incident. Police said there was no known ongoing threat to the public, though detectives continued to gather evidence.
Authorities had not announced charges, a motive or a court date by the latest update. The investigation remained active Friday, May 29, as Modesto police worked with the coroner’s office and prepared the case for review by prosecutors.
Author note: Last updated May 29, 2026.