What is your name?
Cameron Singh.
What is your profession?
I am chief detective at the Santa Luisa police force.
How long have you been working for the Santa Luisa Police force?
For 29 years.
Have you been a detective the entire time you worked for the police force?
No.
What other jobs did you do for the police force before you became a detective?
I was a patrol officer for 10 years, and then I was on the homicide squad for 13 years.
How long have you been chief detective?
6 years.
What happened on November 29, 2013?
Devon Tanner contacted me with some questions.
Which death/case did Devon Tanner ask you about?
The death of Virginia Tanner in 1995.
Who originally investigated the case?
Detective Frank Smith.
What was Loren Tanner's statement of what happened?
She said that Virginia had fallen on the stairs and hit her head on a baluster or stair.
What was Sam Tanner's statement of what happened?
He said the same thing, that the child had fallen and hit her head.
Did Smith find any bloodstains anywhere on or near the stairs?
No.
Did Detective Smith interview Devon at the time?
No, he did not.
What did you do and investigate after reviewing the file?
I took a statement from Devon Tanner, including childhood memories, and collected Loren's note to Sam. I proceeded to interview the now retired coroner, Dr. Harrold. I also investigated all 911 records from the six months around Virginia's death.
Did this call raise any suspicions for you?
Yes.
Of who?
Of Loren Tanner.
Why?
Because it is not uncommon for a child abuser to also commit domestic violence against the other parent or child of the household.
What did you do next?
I obtained a search warrant and went to investigate the Tanner house.
Did you see Loren when you searched the house?
Yes.
What did she say when asked about his Miranda rights?
She waived them.
Where in the house did you examine first?
Around the stairs.
Did you find any bloodstains near or on the stairs?
No.
Did Loren Tanner say she had replaced any flooring or moved any furniture?
No, she did not.
What did you do after finding no evidence of bloodstains anywhere near or on the stairs?
I requested a DNA sample from Loren Tanner.
Did Loren consent?
Yes.
After receiving the DNA sample, did you tell Loren you needed to investigate anything else?
Yes. I told her I needed to pull up floorboards near the stairs and in the bedroom.
How did Loren react upon hearing that you needed to pull up the floorboards?
She became visibly agitated and asked us to stop the search immediately.
What did you do when she asked you to stop the search?
I presented the search warrant.
Did she comply?
Yes.
What were your findings when you pulled up the floorboards around the stairs?
I discovered no blood whatsoever in the floorboards.
What were your findings when you pulled up the floorboards in the bedroom?
I discovered blood had seeped deep down into the floorboards.
Was the house the only place on the property that you searched?
No.
Where else did you search?
In the yard.
Where in the yard did you search?
By the swing set.
Why did you search the spot by the swing set in particular?
It was described by Devon Tanner.
And what did you find?
I found a plastic bag containing towels and a small area rug, all stained with blood.
Where did you send these items?
To the crime lab for further testing.
The day after you discovered the evidence in the yard, what did you do?
I obtained a court order to exhume and examine Virginia Tanner's body.
Why did you want to examine her body?
I wanted to see if her injuries were consistent with Devon Tanner's memory.
Who examined the body?
Dr. Chris Lee, the current Mission county coroner.
And what did Dr. Lee find?
He found a spiral fracture on Virginia's upper left arm and skin cells under her fingernails, showing possible signs of a struggle.
Did those skin cells match anyone?
Yes.
Who did they match?
They matched Loren Tanner.
Do you remember earlier when we talked about the area rug and towels found buried in the yard with blood on them?
Yes, I do.
Who did the blood on the towels and the area rug match?
Virginia Tanner.
What did Loren Tanner do after the new evidence of the fracture, the skin cells and the blood was discovered?
She requested a meeting with his attorney. He stated that he and Sam had been disciplining Virginia moments before her death.
At that point, what did you do?
I arrested Loren Tanner.