Woman, 31, Found Dead of Stab Wounds

The body of a Pacoima woman--fatally stabbed possibly during a family dispute--was discovered outside her mother-in-law’s home early Sunday, police said.

Authorities responding to a 911 call about 4:15 a.m. found the body of Rosemary Cota, 31, lying on grass between the sidewalk and the street near her mother-in-law’s home in the 13600 block of Mercer Street in Pacoima, Los Angeles Police Sgt. Jay Frey said. Cota had apparently been stabbed, but police declined to say whether a weapon was found.

“It appears it’s family oriented,” Officer Robert Bogison said, but he declined to elaborate. He said family members were being interviewed in connection with the killing.

According to Frey, the home has been the site of drug-related problems in the past, but it was unclear whether drugs were involved in Cota’s slaying.

Estella Ledzma, a neighbor of Cota’s mother-in-law, said police had been called to the house a few times in the past. Ledzma said that, on the morning of the killing, she heard no sounds of struggle or anything out of the ordinary until ambulances arrived early Sunday.