Man Kills Himself When Detectives Come to Door

A 30-year-old Lakewood man shot and killed himself early this morning when Orange County Sheriff’s Department investigators tried to question him about the strangulation death of a woman whose body was dumped behind an industrial park in Laguna Hills, authorities said today.

The incident occurred about 3:35 a.m. at the unidentified man’s home in the 11700 block of East 215th Street in Lakewood, said Sheriff’s Lt. Richard J. Olson.

Olson said two detectives had gone there to ask the man whether the slain woman had rented a room in his house. After knocking on his door and receiving no answer, the detectives returned to their car and telephoned him, asking him “to please come to the front door.”

“When they go back and knock again, then they hear the gunshot,” Olson said. “It was a total surprise. There was nothing to confirm that there was any relationship other than this man renting a room to her.”

Olson said the detectives called the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, which is handling the shooting incident.

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Sgt. Birl Adams said investigators are withholding the identity of the apparent suicide victim pending notification of relatives.

The name of the strangled woman also has not been released. Olson said investigators have tentatively identified the woman through her fingerprints but added that her relatives have not yet been notified of her death.

The body of the woman was discovered about 3 a.m Wednesday by Leisure World security officers behind the Laguna Hills Commercial Center in the 23000 block of Ridge Route Drive.

An autopsy performed Wednesday determined that she had been strangled.