The Murder of Tonya Wales

 

August 25th, 2021 was supposed to be a celebratory day for Tonya Wales. It was the mother-of-three's 38th birthday; a day she should have been enjoying with loved ones. Instead, Tonya's family members received the devastating news that she had been found deceased from a gunshot wound around 6:30 that morning. Her death was ruled a murder.

Prior to her death, Tonya lived in Lodi, California with her husband and their three children. According to reports, she was killed in Stockton; located approximately 15 miles away from her home. Tonya was found shot to death inside her vehicle at an apartment complex located on the 8100 block of Palisades Drive. 

In an August 2025 report about Tonya's murder, her husband stated that he believes his wife "was in the wrong place at the wrong time." However, he also said that it is unknown why Tonya was at that apartment complex that morning. It appears that investigators have been unable to find anyone from that area with any information that could help narrow down a suspect or person(s) of interest.

Tonya's murder occurred amongst a string of other murders committed by a serial killer in the Stockton area. Said serial killer reportedly shot and killed at least seven people between April 2021 and September 2022. One of the victims, Jonathan Rodriguez Hernandez, was killed under similar circumstances to Tonya. Hernandez was found shot to death on August 30th, 2022, at 6:41 AM, just blocks away from the location where Tonya was killed. 

These similarities inevitably led to speculation that Tonya was also a victim of the Stockton Serial Killer. In late September 2022, investigators finally arrested the suspected serial killer - a 43-year-old Stockton resident named Wesley Brownlee. Brownlee was charged with seven murders, including the murder of Hernandez, but he was not charged with anything related to Tonya's case. 

Brownlee's murder charges are currently pending. It does not appear that investigators have ever found any evidence linking him to Tonya's murder. It seems that investigators believe Tonya was killed by someone else altogether. However, no suspect or persons of interest have ever been publicly identified.

The Stockton Police Department is in charge of investigating Tonya's murder. There is currently a monetary reward available. If you have any information that could help solve the case, please contact the Investigations Division at (209) 937-8323 or submit a tip online.

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Sources:
ABC 10
ABC News Go
Hoodline
Stockton PD