2 Women Found Shot to Death in Lawndale

Two young women were found slain in a sedan parked near Leuzinger High School in Lawndale, and sheriff’s deputies said Friday they were searching for a 30-year-old Carson man as a suspect in the killings.

Isabel Ines, 22, of Bell Gardens, and Maria Hernandez, 21, of Torrance, were found about 9:30 p.m. Thursday, shot in the head. The car was parked at the end of a cul-de-sac in the 14500 block of Freeman Avenue, investigators said.

Witnesses said they saw a red truck driving away shortly before the bodies were found and deputies said they were seeking Hesiquio Fraire Cerda, believed to be the driver of the truck.

Officers declined comment on a possible motive in the shootings, but they said the deaths apparently were not related to student demonstrations at the high school earlier this week protesting alleged racism by school officials. Deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department station in Lennox said they discovered the bodies after they were called to the scene by a neighbor who reported a “suspicious” sedan parked at curbside.

The witnesses noted the license plate of the red, 1990 GMC sports truck that drove away, and Cerda was identified through an investigation that began with a search of vehicle registration records, deputies said. The officers said they are also looking for the truck, license number 2PYR964.

None of the witnesses reported hearing any shots, leading to speculation that the women were shot elsewhere, then driven to where they were found. Liz Rivera, who lives across the street from where the women were found, said the sedan did not appear on the street until shortly before the bodies were found in it.