CALIFORNIA – The Navajo County Sheriff’s Office said it responded in November to a location in Pinetop, Arizona, where deputies confirmed the homicide of 59-year-old Kerri Ann Abatti, who died from a gunshot wound. 

The update was posted to the department’s Facebook page on Dec. 24.

After an extensive investigation, detectives processed the scene and developed evidence. Detectives executed multiple search warrants linked to the Abatti family in El Centro, California on Dec. 2, 2025.

Detectives identified Michael Abatti, 63, of El Centro, as the suspect after seizing and analyzing evidence. They worked with multiple law enforcement agencies in Arizona and California to develop information and evidence. 

The investigation led to probable cause that Michael Abatti traveled from California to Pinetop, Arizona, on Nov. 20, 2025. Authorities believe he shot and killed Kerri Ann Abatti before immediately returning to California.

On Dec. 23, 2025, testimony to the Navajo County Grand Jury led to an indictment and arrest warrant. 

Michael Abatti was taken into custody on the 100 block of McCabe Road in El Centro, California, on Dec. 23, 2025, at about 3:20 p.m. (PST). He was booked into the Imperial County Jail on charges of first-degree murder under Arizona Revised Statutes 13-1105, a class one felony, and is awaiting extradition to Arizona.

Abatti family helped settle Imperial Valley

Michael Abatti, whose family helped settle the Imperial Valley, now farms thousands of acres with crops he previously said were valued at over $10 million.

He has farmed onions, broccoli, cantaloupes, and other crops and served on the Imperial Irrigation District board from 2006 to 2010.

According to CBS News, Michael and Kerri Abatti were married in 1992 and had three children. The couple separated in 2023, with Kerri Abatti’s California divorce pending at the time of her death.

Kerri’s temporary spousal support of $5,000 per month was increased to a requested $30,000 last year, citing her inability to maintain her standard of living after leaving her bookkeeping and office manager job on the family farm in 1999 to raise the couple’s three children.

Michael Abatti cited two poor farming years in a legal filing, saying he couldn’t afford the increase.

He said in mid-2024 that wheat cost $1,000 an acre to grow but sold for $700, and he earned $22,000 a month while the farm struggled to pay creditors.

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