Garden Grove : Police Seeking Family After Scalded Man Dies
A Garden Grove man died late Tuesday, nine days after a pot of boiling water was poured over him as he slept.
Malele Opetaia Alaga, 27, died at UCI Medical Center in Orange after being admitted July 14 with severe burns on his chest, thighs, groin and left arm, according to police.
Garden Grove Police Sgt. Bruce Beauchamp said Alaga was sleeping in his home in the 12000 block of Morningside Drive about 9 a.m. when the incident occurred. Alaga fled screaming to the home of nearby relatives, who called paramedics, police said.
Officers found Alaga’s home empty, and police are still seeking Alaga’s wife and children, who disappeared after the incident. Police did not release the wife’s name or the number of children.
Beauchamp said Alaga told police the name of a possible assailant. Beauchamp added the incident “could have stemmed from a family dispute.”
Police said Wednesday that they will not proceed with a homicide investigation until the Orange County coroner’s office has determined the cause of death.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
