Son arrested for allegedly killing mom in Goleta
September 29, 2025
By KAREN VELIE
A 32-year-old Goleta man is in jail for allegedly killing his 72-year-old mother on Sunday evening.
Shortly before 8 p.m., Santa Barbara County sheriff’s deputies made a welfare check on Lynn Areno. Deputies discovered that Areno was deceased.
Deputies quickly detained her son, Christopher Vanvalck, at the scene. He was later booked at the Santa Barbara County Main Jail on suspicion of homicide and is being held in lieu of $2 million bail.
The cause and manner of death remain under investigation.
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