'Sandlot' Star Marty York's Mother Murdered, Cops Searching for Killer

10/16/23 12:45 PM PT -- Cops say they took Walter into custody over the weekend.

3:23 PM PT -- Marty York just broke his silence, posting a photo of Walter and writing, "This is the hardest post I'm ever going to have to write. Last night my mother was murdered by a man she was seeing. Right now there is a nationwide manhunt."

He continues, "If you've seen this man please call the police immediately. I can't even comprehend what is happening right now, but I feel if I find this person I'm going to physically maul him. I pray to God I don't find him because it will be a fate worse then hell."

Tragedy has struck the family of "The Sandlot" actor Marty York, his mother, a sheriff's deputy, was murdered in her own home ... and cops are on the hunt for the alleged killer.

Cops say Deanna Esmaeel was found dead Thursday inside her home in Crescent City, California. On Friday, the Del Norte County Sheriff's Office -- where Deanna is a deputy -- put out an alert to the public in hopes of tracking down Deanna's boyfriend, Daniel James Walter.

Investigators say Walter, who recently changed his name to Edward Patrick Davies, is the suspect in Deanna's murder ... though they don't say what happened.

According to the alert, deputies were able to locate Walter's vehicle, but the 54-year-old was nowhere to be found.

Sheriff Scott of the DNSO released a statement following Deputy Esmaeel's death, saying, "We are all deeply heartbroken with the loss of Deputy Esmaeel. Our hearts and prayers go out to her family, friends, and co-workers."

Marty York played "Yeah-Yeah" in the 1993 classic "The Sandlot" and has continued to act on various projects through the years. He has not yet publicly commented on his mother's murder.