Ron Ely's Son Called 911 After Stabbing Mom Valerie and Tried to Blame His Elderly Dad for Murder
Ron Ely‘s son Cameron fatally stabbed his mother Valerie Ely before calling 911 and placing the blame on the Tarzan actor, according to audio footage that was recently released.
In Tuesday’s 911 call to the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office, which was obtained by The Blast, the emergency dispatcher is heard saying that a “male reporting party” placed the call and claimed that the “father tried to attack the mother.”
The dispatcher went on to note that “someone defended someone” and then the male hung up the phone. When she called back, a man responded who sounded “out of breath, unintelligible, and crying.”
After “clearing the house” and sending in “additional units,” an officer states on the call that he spoke with the “elderly gentleman” — later identified as Ron — who confirmed that the suspect was his son and that no one else was in the house at the time of the gruesome incident.
Ron, 81, who reportedly has a medical condition that prevents him from being able to clearly talk, was able to express to the officer that he believed his son had “driven away,” but was unable to verbalize what car he was driving.
RELATED: Former Miss Florida Valerie Ely Stabbed to Death by Son Just Feet Away from Tarzan Star Husband Ron
Earlier on Wednesday, a spokesperson with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office (SBCSO) confirmed to PEOPLE that officers responded to the 911 call placed at the Elys’ exclusive Hope Ranch home at 8:15 p.m. on Tuesday.
When they arrived at the scene, deputies found Valerie, 62, dead inside the home with “multiple stab wounds,” and identified the suspect as 30-year-old Cameron.
After searching the property and surrounding area, deputies located Cameron outside the home and said “he posed a threat,” which prompted four deputies to fire “their service weapons at the suspect, fatally wounding him,” according to the SBCSO.
The spokesperson said no deputies were injured during the confrontation and noted that the office is currently conducting criminal, coroner’s, and administrative investigations.
Ron also did not suffer any injuries but was taken to the hospital as a precaution. An autopsy of both Valerie and Cameron is pending.
Representatives for the Ely family did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Besides their son Cameron, Ron and Valerie, who wed in 1984, shared two daughters, Kirsten and Kaitland, 32.
The sisters, who are both social media influencers, have yet to speak out about the tragedy but previously described their adoration for their parents on Instagram and in blog posts.
In a blog entry from 2010, Kirsten, 34, wrote about everything she has learned in 25 years, including how she approaches her relationship with her parents.
“Your mom really can be your best friend. And your dad really can give amazing advice,” Kirsten wrote. “Just because you’re an ‘adult,’ it doesn’t mean that mom and dad should be kicked to the curb. It can be quite a gift to be able to stay their ‘little girl’… it can also be horribly annoying… but try to ignore the annoying part.”
RELATED: Woman Found Stabbed to Death at Santa Barbara Home Owned by Tarzan Star Ron Ely, Suspect Also Killed
Kirsten also referred to her father as the “best dad ever” in a series of blog posts titled “Advice from Dad.”
Prior to marrying Ron, Valerie competed in the Miss Florida competition in 1981 while representing Miami. She went on to compete at the Miss USA beauty pageant later that year but did not win.
She was also a former flight attendant and even won Miss Airlines International, a beauty pageant for flight attendants and other airline employees, in 1980, according to The Miami News.
Ron was a veteran actor who played the role of Tarzan from 1966 to 1968.
He also starred in the iconic seventies show Fantasy Island and the 1975 film Doc Savage: The Man of Iron and Bronze. Additionally, he hosted the Miss America pageant in the 1980s.
After getting married to Valerie, Ron took a break from acting to focus on raising their children. More recently, he had a role in the 2014 television movie Expecting Amish.
