PINETOP-LAKESIDE, Ariz. — Authorities in Navajo County are deep into a multistate investigation after 59-year-old Kerri Abatti was found shot to death inside her home in Pinetop earlier this month.

The case has garnered widespread attention not only because of the circumstances of her killing, but because Abatti was the ex-wife of Michael Abatti , a well-known agricultural landowner and crop producer in California’s Imperial Valley.

The investigation began on the night of November 20, when someone inside Abatti’s home called 911 to report a medical emergency. According to Navajo County Chief Deputy Brian Swanty, Pinetop Fire personnel arrived at the property first. What responders found immediately shifted the nature of the call. Instead of a medical event, crews discovered what appear

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