A homicide investigation was underway today into the stabbing death of an 86-year-old woman inside her home in upscale Windsor Square, police said.
A caretaker found the body during a routine visit around 7:25 p.m. Monday at the home in the 100 block of North Beachwood Drive, said Sgt. Mike Stewart of the LAPD’s Wilshire Station. The caretaker contacted the Los Angeles Fire Department, which contacted the LAPD, Stewart said.
Police were investigating the death as a homicide, said LAPD Officer Nuria Vanegas. Authorities withheld the woman’s name, pending family notification.
Officers searched the residence and found only the woman inside, Stewart said.
“It’s not a self-inflicted wound,” Stewart said.
LAPD Lt. John Radtke said the victim was very active for her age.
“She (was) an 86-year-old woman, said to be in very good shape,” Radtke told reporters. “She took care of herself, (she) liked to drive around and run her errands every day, so (this was) a big surprise.
“We’re still at the beginning of this,” Radtke said. “So, what we’re doing is a very slow, methodical investigation … we’re looking for fingerprints, we’re looking for footprints, we’re looking for blood. We’re looking for anything that might help us identify the person who may have been involved in this crime.”
The woman’s slaying was only the third homicide in Windsor Square since 2000, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Anyone with information on the case was urged to call homicide detectives at (213) 382-9470, or (877) LAPD-247.
