MILWAUKIE, Ore. – Police arrested a woman suspected of killing a man at a Milwaukie metal fabrication plant on Thursday.

Randey Lee Chipman, 48, of Milwaukie, was found dead at about 10:30 a.m. Thursday at WW Metal Fab, located near Highway 99E in Milwaukie.

Police charged Sonia Marie Ulness, 40, of Gladstone, with one count of murder. KGW learned the two were separated and in the midst of a child custody battle. They also had a history of restraining orders against each other.

"She turned herself in, right after it happened frankly, so she's in every way cooperated,” defense lawyer Forrest Rieke said. “She's not in any way dangerous, she's a really nice woman and she's got a horrible problem now."

Police have not said how the man was murdered. Chipman was a line engineer, according to coworkers.

Police photo

Murder suspect Sonia Marie Ulness

"It is definintely a shocker. A lot of people had their heads hanging low," coworker Ryan Thompson said.

Another coworker, Dave Vasquez, described the victim as, "always fun, always laughing, smiling."

Investigators had temporarily put three nearby schools into lockdown mode, including Craxberger Middle School, which the victim's children attend.

Ulness is being held at the Clackamas County Jail. Two children in the case were also turned over to DHS.

(KGW reporter Kyle Iboshi also contributed to this article.)