Woman strangled to death in Compton home

COMPTON, Calif. (KABC) -- Police are investigating a homicide in Compton after a Hispanic woman was strangled to death Friday.

Officers responded to a home in the 12800 block of S. Stoneacre Avenue at about 2 a.m. regarding the woman's death. They found the mother's body on the floor with marks on her neck. She was transported to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Authorities said two families reside in the house. Neighbors said the homeowner's daughter lives in the rear home with her longtime Hispanic boyfriend and their four children, who are between the ages of five and 15.

Lt. Rodney Moore said detectives have not yet interviewed the detained boyfriend, who is a person of interest in the homicide. He added that the oldest child, 15, was in the same part of the house as his parents when the mother was strangled. Officials are not sure if the teen was a witness. The three other children were in the front of the house, according to a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department press release.

A neighbor, who did not want to be named, explained the difficulty in understanding how somebody who helped him out in the past could possibly harm the mother of his own children.

"It's just tragic, you never know about people, never know what goes on through people's minds from day to day. You don't know what kind of problems they're having," he said.

The Department of Social Services is currently taking care of the couple's children. Police have not released any further details about the mother.

Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to contact the L.A. County Sheriff's Department's Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500.