Investigation underway after 87-year-old woman's body found inside garage refrigerator in Riverside

Sid Garcia Image
Tuesday, September 21, 2021
Woman's body found inside refrigerator at Riverside home
An investigation is underway after an 87-year-old woman's body was found inside a refrigerator at a home in Riverside.

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KABC) -- An investigation is underway after an 87-year-old woman's body was found inside a refrigerator at a home in Riverside.

Concerned family members from out of state requested a welfare check Sunday morning, according to the Riverside Police Department. Responding officers made contact with the woman's 64-year-old daughter, who she lived with.

"Once they began speaking with the daughter, there were some inconsistencies with her story as to her mom's whereabouts," said Officer Javier Cabrera. "The officers detained the daughter and ultimately went inside the residence."

During their search, officers found the dead woman inside a freezer in the garage.

According to the Press-Enterprise, the woman, identified as Miriam Travis, was a former Los Angeles County sheriff's homicide detective.

Additional details surrounding her death were not immediately released, but a pending autopsy is expected to provide direction in the investigation, Cabrera said.

A neighbor told Eyewitness News the two mostly kept to themselves but he hadn't seen either of them in a while.

The woman's daughter was questioned by authorities but has since been released.