January 8, 2024 - Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit (MCU), as well as investigators with the Coroner’s Office, are conducting an active and ongoing double death investigation.  

Patrol deputies were dispatched to the 1000 block of Hart Rd. in rural, unincorporated northwest Modesto on Sunday, January 7, 2024 at 7:53 p.m.  They were sent to conduct a security check on one adult male and one adult female.  Both individuals had not been heard from in the last few days.  

Upon arrival, they located two deceased adults.  Detectives were brought in to assume control of the suspicious double death investigation.  The decedents have been identified as 42-year-old Cory Rife of Waterford and 46-year-old Steven Whiteside of Modesto.  

The Sheriff’s Office respectfully asks for the community’s patience while we await the results of a forensic autopsy and further toxicology laboratory test results.  More can and will be shared at a later time.  

We ask members of the public to contact Detective Dustin Espinoza at 209-652-0437 should they have information to share.  They may also leave an anonymous tip by calling Crime Stoppers at 209-521-4636 or go to www.stancrimetips.org.  Tipsters could be eligible for a cash reward.
Source: Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office