Woman, ex-husband dead in apparent murder-suicide in Lancaster

LANCASTER, Calif. (KABC) -- A homicide in Lancaster appears to be a murder-suicide, according to investigators.

The victim was a school nurse at the Southern Kern Unified School District with three college-age children. The apparent killer was the woman's ex-husband.

The woman's body was discovered in the driveway of a home in the 3200 block of West Avenue J10 Thursday morning.

"I know she is in heaven now. She was a good Christian lady. She believed in God," said Darlinda Reyes, a friend of the victim.

Reyes said her very close friend Sylvia Salazar was beginning her new life. She said Salazar divorced her husband and recently moved in with her.

Thursday morning, the worst happened. At about 6:30 a.m., Reyes said Salazar's ex-husband came to their Lancaster residence and shot the woman to death, before turning the gun on himself.

"She was my best friend for 20 years," said Reyes. "Very smart lady. I got good memories of her."

"We are investigating it as an apparent domestic violence incident, a murder-suicide. From what Lancaster station detectives have been able to tell us, apparently the two were involved in a divorce which may have been finalized yesterday," said Lt. Dave Coleman with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Distraught family members of the victim consoled each other near the tragic crime scene Thursday.

"Just a wonderful person. I know now God has her in his hands because she was a Christian," said Reyes.

If you have any information about this incident, you're urged to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500 or Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS.