‘My brother was sick’: Daughter of Sanger’s husband who was allegedly killed by son speaks out | YourCentralValley.com

SANGER, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – Christina Sheldon, daughter of 80-year-old Roel Canales, who was found dead in a Sanger home Wednesday morning, spoke to us just one day after the heartbreaking incident.

She says her brother, who is accused of killing her father, suffered from severe mental illness and was asking for help just days before the unimaginable tragedy.

“I know my brother has to pay for what he did, but I want the public to know that my brother was sick. He was mentally ill for many, many years,” Sheldon said.

Sheldon’s brother is 46-year-old Gilbert Canales, who Sanger police say confessed to killing his father, Roel. Canales battled bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Christina, Roel’s oldest child, says her brother lived with their father and asked him for mental health help just two days before police said he killed him.

Roel took his son to a treatment facility, but Sheldon told us he wasn’t allowed to stay and get the help he needed.

“He was admitted for five hours, then they sent him out with medication or whatever and said they didn’t have enough room for him and sent him away,” she said. “It’s just tragic because my brother sought help and it was rejected.”

Christina says her father Roel couldn’t have raised her and her siblings better.

She says she is proud to be his daughter, whether because of his spirit or his willingness to always be there for his children.

“My father was so generous and so loving. He was just a good man. He was a deacon, a Christian. He raised us as Christians. He was always reading the Bible to us,” Christina said.

As for the painful loss of his life in which her brother is the killer, Christina Sheldon says forgiveness, especially given the circumstances, is essential to her family’s healing.

“He’s my brother. I love him. Even with what he did to my father. I know he wasn’t in his right mind. I have to forgive him for that for myself and my family.”

Anyone who would like to help the family with the funeral and other costs incurred by Roel’s death can click here.