Cristy Alvarez, 28, was a mother of two young children. Her body was found at east L Street and Hyatt Avenue in Wilmington by a woman who was walking her dog.
According to police she may have been sexually assaulted; the coroner said her throat was cut.
For the past few days, Jonathan Alvarez has been grieving near the spot where his older sister's body was found.
"My sister was a loving girl," he said.
Neighbors and friends have been stopping by and offering their love and support to the victim's family. They've also been donating what they can to help pay for the funeral.
"Very sad, very sad," said Wilmington resident Lucy Reyes. "I just saw it this morning in the paper and I feel a lot of pain for the parents. And then I find out she have a baby and it hurts a lot. I pray, and I am going to pray for the family and everybody."
"I grew up in this city so it's very frightening," Ilene Gonzalez. "I couldn't even sleep last night just knowing that somebody is out there doing this to young females. I just think it's very sad."
Some say it's also scary to know that someone is out there capable of killing a young mother in such a violent way.
"What's going to happen next?" said Wilmington resident Adileny Cervantes. "We have to be careful where we go everywhere. It's just, I can't believe it. It's very scary."
Cristy Alvarez was the mother of a 10-year-old girl and a 5-year-old boy. Her brother said she and her husband were in the process of moving into the Wilmington neighborhood to be closer to family.
"Every morning I wake up and I think it's a dream, I hope it's a dream," said Jonathan Alvarez. "I hope I had my sister back and I could give her one last hug. But reality is every day I wake up in the morning I cry, and I go to sleep crying. I can't eat, I can't sleep."
If you have any information call the Los Angeles Police Department at 877-LAPD 24-7.
