Overview

• Fletcher Pinkham, 39, was arrested for allegedly shooting his 75-year-old mother, Linda Mercurio, and then burning down her house in Little River, California.
• Authorities became suspicious after Pinkham emerged from a wooded area near the home in an altered state as firefighters battled the blaze.
• Investigators found guns, ammunition, clothing, and a vehicle belonging to Pinkham in the wooded area.
• Forensic experts from Chico State University helped locate Mercurio's remains in the rubble of her home, with official identification still pending.
• Pinkham faces charges of murder and using a firearm during the commission of a serious felony, with his court appearance scheduled for Monday.