Former Trinity County Man Arrested in Shooting Death of Woman

Background photo by Oliver Cory

A former Trinity County man is facing homicide-related charges after a woman was found dead in a remote part of Josephine County, Oregon. Both the man and the woman are former Trinity County residents, according to public records and local sources.

According to a press release from the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office, emergency dispatch received a 911 call on June 27 reporting a gunshot wound to a woman in the Deer Creek Road area near Selma. The caller had poor cell service and lost the connection before giving an exact location, then left the scene and called again from somewhere else, according to the sheriff’s office. Deputies could not reach the caller again. Deputies and Oregon State Police troopers searched the area that night but did not find the woman.

The next day, detectives with the sheriff’s office Major Crimes Unit and Oregon State Police opened a formal investigation. A sheriff’s office Bureau of Land Management deputy, helped by two BLM rangers, resumed the search and found a deceased woman in a remote part of Upper Deer Creek Road. She was identified as 57-year-old Veronica Marie Gray.

During the investigation, detectives interviewed multiple people and identified 42-year-old Monty Ryan Breedlove as the primary suspect. He was arrested and booked into the Josephine County Jail on charges of manslaughter in the first degree and felon in possession of a firearm.

On the North Coast, Gray and Breedlove had connections to Salyer, Lewiston, Weaverville, and Eureka before moving to Josephine County Oregon before October 2025.

Screenshot of crime data aggregator Local Crime News 

According to crime data aggregator, Local Crime News, Breedlove has a history of prior arrests in Trinity County dating back more than a decade, including charges of inflicting corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and probation violations. Gray also had prior arrests in Trinity County, including probation revocation and failure to appear.

Notably, on June 24, 2018, he was arrested on charges including inflicting corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of an assault weapon, and possession of ammunition by a prohibited person.

Just over two weeks later, on July 10, 2018, Gray was arrested on a charge of disobeying a domestic relations court order, according to the same source.

The sheriff’s office said next of kin have been notified and no further details are being released at this time.

If you or anyone you know are experiencing domestic violence, below are resources that can provide help:

• Mendocino County: Contact a crisis counselor at Project Sanctuary by calling (707)463-4357.

• Humboldt County: Call Humboldt Domestic Violence Services at (707)443-6042 or at 1-866-668-6543

• Trinity County: Contact the Human Response Network at (530)623-2024

• Lake County: Contact the Lake Family Resource Center community crisis line at 1(888)485-7733.

• Sonoma County: Contact the YWCA Domestic Violence Hotline at (707)546-1234