Officers went to the house in the 2400 block of Paradise Road around 7:30 a.m. to check on the welfare of the resident.
When police arrived, there was no answer at the door. Officers entered the home through an open door at the back of the home and found the victim's body in the living room.
Authorities said based on the condition of the body and the condition of the house, it appeared that the elderly victim was murdered, but they're still not sure exactly how she died or what the motive was in the killing.
Wade was being held at the Anaheim Detention Facility, and the bail was expected to be set at $1 million.
Friends identified the victim as 84-year-old Bessie Whyman. Residents say she was the backbone of their neighborhood.
"I was very surprised because she was a very nice person. We're just shocked about it," said Whyman's neighbor Jose Ruvalcaba.
Friends say that Whyman was one of the original owners in the housing development and an active member of her church.
"My wife is devastated. I mean, we can't believe it. We don't know what we're going to tell our kids," said Whyman's neighbor, Frank Burns. "Throughout the whole neighborhood, all the kids go over there. She's that lady that everybody talks to."
Neighbors said they would hear her playing her piano almost every night, and they can't believe she lost her life in such a vicious manner.
