Turtle Rock Woman Is Found Slain

A 46-year-old woman was discovered by her husband slain in their bed Thursday night in the exclusive Turtle Rock neighborhood, police said.

Patricia Lea Pratt, who died between 5:30 and 11:45 p.m., may have interrupted a burglary in progress, police said Friday.

Her husband, Paul Pratt, last saw her alive when he left for a business meeting Thursday evening. There were no signs of forced entry in the home, but police said several “items of value” had been taken from the house, which is at the end of a cul-de-sac on Windflower next to a small park.

“It appears that possibly she interrupted a crime in the home or that someone entered the home while she was there,” Police Lt. Sam Allevato said.

Police said Pratt suffered injuries to her upper torso, but Allevato refused to say exactly how she died.

Pratt was a customer service manager for PacTel Cellular in Irvine. Company spokeswoman Melissa May described her as “a terrific lady and a friend to all of us.”

May said some employees in Pratt’s department were so distraught that they left work early Friday.

“We’re all so upset,” she said. “It’s a very difficult day around here and a big tragedy in all of our lives. She was a valued member of our company, an excellent manager and a special person. We are all just dumbfounded.”

Her death was the fourth homicide in the city since 1990, and the crime came as a shock to neighbors in the normally quiet Turtle Rock neighborhood.

“The low crime rate is one of the reasons why we live here,” said Pratt’s next-door neighbor, Cathe Martin. “It’s really bizarre, definitely a shock. It really makes you feel vulnerable.”

Martin and her husband, Pat, said the Pratts have no children and moved onto the street about a year ago.

“This whole thing is really crazy,” Pat Martin said. “You hear about these things happening everywhere else in the world, but to think that it happened right here, you realize that the world is right outside your doorstep.”

Police returned to the neighborhood Friday evening to look for possible witnesses. Many residents use the park next to the Pratt home to walk their dogs and jog, neighbors said.

Police have no suspects. They ask that anyone who may have any information about the crime contact Investigator Larry Montgomery at (714) 724-7173.