Retuquel Dupree worked briefly for Citrus Heights police in 2021; detectives now accuse him and Jessica Savangsy in a homicide case.
ROSEVILLE, Calif. — A former Citrus Heights police officer and his girlfriend were arrested Monday after a 7-year-old girl died and a 5-year-old was injured inside their Roseville home, authorities said. Officers answering a 7:37 a.m. medical-aid call on Oahu Court found the older child with injuries; she was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead. Detectives later booked Jessica Savangsy and Retuquel Dupree into the South Placer County Jail on suspicion of murder, conspiracy and felony child abuse.
The case is drawing scrutiny because of Dupree’s short time as a police officer and the presence of four children in the house. Police said Savangsy is the mother of the 7- and 5-year-old girls, who were found injured, and that two other children were asleep and unhurt. Investigators spent the day processing the scene and interviewing family members and neighbors. Authorities did not release the nature of the girls’ injuries or the results of any initial medical examinations. The Placer County coroner will determine the cause of death, and prosecutors will decide formal charges after reviewing the investigative file.
Dispatchers sent officers to the cul-de-sac north of Blue Oaks Boulevard after an adult resident reported an unresponsive child. Police said the 7-year-old “appeared to have injuries” and was rushed to a hospital, where she died despite emergency treatment. During a protective sweep, officers found the 5-year-old in a bedroom with injuries and sent her to a hospital. Child Protective Services took custody of the two uninjured children. As the investigation shifted to homicide, detectives set up a black tarp at the front entry while forensic technicians photographed rooms and collected items in paper bags. “It’s shocking to hear,” one neighbor said, describing a normally quiet block transformed by police cars and tape.
Police identified the adults as Savangsy and Dupree, who lived at the address and were in a dating relationship. Officials listed Dupree as 27. Authorities and public records listed different ages for Savangsy on Monday; police did not immediately reconcile the discrepancy. Family members of Dupree gathered near the scene and insisted he loved the children and would not hurt them, statements police declined to address directly. Investigators did not disclose whether any prior calls for service had been made to the address or whether officers had visited the home before Monday’s incident.
Dupree’s employment history is part of what makes the case notable. Citrus Heights police said he worked for the department for a brief period from early June to early August 2021 and did not leave by resignation. In 2024, he took a non-sworn campus safety position at Sierra College; a college spokesperson said he was later placed on administrative leave in the fall. Separately, booking records show Savangsy and Dupree were arrested in October on conspiracy and grand theft allegations in a case investigated by Roseville police, then released on bail. Those matters remain separate from the homicide investigation, but they form part of the recent timeline that detectives are reviewing.
Authorities said they are still gathering evidence, including interviews, digital records and medical findings. The district attorney’s office will review reports for charging decisions and set an arraignment in Placer County Superior Court. Police said the girl’s name will be released after the coroner notifies relatives and completes an autopsy. Detectives did not identify the adult who called 911 and declined to provide specifics about the injuries or any suspected weapons. They also did not disclose which rooms of the house were most significant to the investigation, citing the need to preserve case integrity.
Neighbors described a day of sirens and uncertainty. Parents hustled children indoors as marked units blocked the cul-de-sac, and a mobile command post idled nearby into the evening. “You never expect this on a Monday morning,” another neighbor said. After sunset, orange cones and floodlights illuminated the driveway as technicians measured distances and sketched floor plans. By night, the black tarp still covered the front doorway, and officers rotated in pairs to maintain the perimeter. Family members of the arrested man cried and hugged on the sidewalk, telling reporters he would “never” harm the girls. Police said they would release additional information as the investigation advances.
As of late Monday, the suspects remained held at the South Placer County Jail on suspicion of murder, conspiracy and felony child abuse. The condition of the 5-year-old was not released. The next expected milestone is the coroner’s preliminary findings and any filing decision by prosecutors later this week.
Author note: Last updated December 23, 2025.