Roommate of Slain Woman, 79, Held

A 60-year-old Chula Vista woman was arrested Tuesday night in the slaying of her 79-year-old roommate, whose torso was discovered last week in Coronado, sheriff’s deputies said.

The torso of Lillian B. Shepherd, 79, was found in a brown plastic bag resting on a piece of harder clear plastic. The remains appeared to have been left at random Thursday on a strip of grass in the 500 block of C Avenue, authorities said.

Arrested was Mary Louise Asbury, a caretaker, and the victim’s roommate of several years. She is being held without bail at the Las Colinas Jail on suspicion of murder, Sgt. Manny Castillo said.

A cause of death has not been determined, but an autopsy was able to determine the victim’s medical history, which matched that of a person reported missing to the Chula Vista Police Department, Castillo said.

Acting on the information, sheriff’s detectives went to Shepherd’s residence in the 1500 block of 3rd Street, Castillo said. In her bedroom, detectives found evidence of a crime, including blood, he said. Authorities would not be more specific about the evidence.

Several people were questioned about Shepherd’s disappearance, but detectives ultimately arrested Asbury, Castillo said.

Joggers had noticed the bag containing Shepherd’s torso as early as 5:30 a.m., but, as the morning grew warmer, the bag drew a swarm of flies, neighbors said last week. Suspecting that the smell was from a rotting animal, an animal control officer was dispatched, only to discover that the remains were human.

Castillo said it is believed that the remains had been dropped off in Coronado as early as 2:30 a.m.

The discovery marked the second time in a week that decomposing remains were found in San Diego County. The dismembered body of Robert R. Evans, 55, was found Friday night in a canyon near Miramar Naval Air Station.