Sylmar: Mother of 3 found dead after family returns from trip, prompting homicide probe
SYLMAR, Calif. (KABC) -- A mother of three was found dead by her family late Tuesday night at their Sylmar home, prompting a homicide investigation due to suspicious circumstances, authorities said.
Officers responded at 11:30 p.m. to a home in the 14500 block of Lyle Street, where they arrived to meet with the woman's husband and children, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson said.
On Wednesday morning, LAPD Homicide Detective Christine Moselle said the woman was believed to be in her mid-30s. Her name has not been released.
Police have not determined whether the woman's death was tied to a police chase that occurred Tuesday night in Hollywood, Moselle told ABC7. A possible connection is being investigated.
The victim was home alone when her family returned from a Labor Day weekend trip to Mexico and found her deceased, the detective said, and a vehicle was missing from the residence.
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The woman appeared to have been deceased for several days. The vehicle was later recovered and investigators are scouring it for evidence, authorities said.
"She had just lost her mother and her grandmother in the last year," Julie Todd, a friend of the victim, told ABC7. "So, I'm like, oh my God, this poor family. And I'm like, what is she going to do? She's got three young kids -- well, not real young, but teenagers."
In a press conference at the scene, Moselle told reporters that investigators have not identified a suspect in the case, "so I'm not going to be releasing that information but we are following up on every lead available to us."
The Los Angeles County coroner's office is expected to release the official cause of death after its investigation is complete.
