A 25-year-old Long Beach woman and her boyfriend are being held in the Pacific County jail on first degree murder charges in connection with the murder of the young woman’s 64-year-old grandmother.

The Pacific County Sheriff’s Office said Katherine J. Chace, 25, called 911 last Sunday morning to say that she and her children had been kidnapped from her home at knifepoint. She said an unknown male kidnapper obtained her gun, put her and her children into her vehicle then went back in the home and that soon after than two shots were fired.

Chace said the kidnapper drove her and her children to Loomis Lake State Park, tossed her car keys and her gun into the woods then disappeared, at which time she was able to call 911.

Deputies searched the area and found no trace of a kidnapper. Deputies then went to Chace’s home and found the body of Chace’s grandmother, Paula J. Rice.

The sheriff’s office said it became apparent to investigators that Chace’s story and timeline of events were not adding up and eventually it became clear that no kidnapping had occurred. Investigators said Chace revealed that her boyfriend and the father of her children, may have been in the area as well. Chace revealed other information during interviews that implicated her as being involved but not fully responsible for the murder of Rice and Chace was arrested.

At the jail, investigators say, Chace asked to speak with the investigating detective again and admitted to shooting her grandmother as she slept in her bed.

The Sheriff’s Office said Chace stated that she and her boyfriend, later identified as Paul D. Rankin, age 25, had planned for a month or more to kill her grandmother and father who lived in the house. Chace allegedly said that after she killed her grandmother, she became distraught and couldn’t kill her father.

The sheriff’s office gave this account, according to a news release: “Chace stated that she threw the gun that she used in the dune grass at Loomis Lake State Park, prior to her initially calling to report the alleged kidnapping. Chace described in detail to the detective where to look for the weapon.

“Chace stated that Rankin had traveled from Alaska to the Long Beach area about a week or two prior. Chace said that Rankin was camping in the forest around Loomis Lake State Park. On Nov. 12, during the evening, Rankin was located and identified. Rankin was interviewed and subsequently arrested on Nov. 13.”

Also on Nov. 13, investigators found a weapon matching the description and caliber of the suspected murder weapon in the dune grass at Loomis Lake State Park in the area that Chace described. The weapon was registered to Katherine Chace. Bail has been set at $1 million apiece for both Chace and Rankin.