Carjackers Kill Woman, Police Say

The body of a 78-year-old Santa Monica woman believed kidnaped by carjackers was found Wednesday night at the bottom of a remote canyon above Malibu after suspects arrested in El Paso, Tex., told police where to find her corpse, investigators said.

Tamara Bernard was last seen alive when she left her home in the 1000 block of 2nd Street to run errands Monday morning, Santa Monica Police Sgt. Gary Gallinot said. He said her niece called police Tuesday morning to report her missing.

Gallinot said police learned that two of the woman’s credit cards had been used a considerable distance from Los Angeles after her disappearance, and by Wednesday morning her car had been found in El Paso.

“Tuesday night, at about 11 p.m., two men were arrested in El Paso while trying to use one of her credit cards at a restaurant,” Gallinot said.

The police sergeant identified the men as Edward Feistal, 19, and Robert Bowerman, 24, both described as transients.

Gallinot said the men had been arrested on suspicion of burglarizing a business at Santa Monica Airport a few weeks ago. He said both pleaded guilty, were released on their own recognizance and had been scheduled to return Tuesday to court in Santa Monica.

“Needless to say, neither of them showed up,” the sergeant said.

Gallinot said that under questioning in El Paso, Feistal and Bowerman said the elderly woman’s body had been dumped beside Decker Road, about two miles above Pacific Coast Highway. A Santa Monica police search team found the body there about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Gallinot said it appeared the woman had been beaten on the head with a blunt object.

Santa Monica police detectives were en route to El Paso on Wednesday night to interview the suspects, who were being held without bail on robbery counts.

Times staff writer Jack Cheevers contributed to this story.