Silva Aide Died in Hunting Arrow Attack : Investigation: Arlene Michele Hoffman bled to death in the foyer of her Laguna Niguel townhome. The assailant removed the arrow from her chest.

Arlene Michele Hoffman, executive secretary to Supervisor Jim Silva, was shot through the chest with a hunting-type arrow and bled to death in the foyer of her Laguna Niguel townhome, authorities said Wednesday.

Neither the arrow nor the weapon used to shoot it has been recovered, Orange County Sheriff’s Lt. Dan Martini said in a prepared statement. “The weapon could range from a simple bow to a more sophisticated trigger-action crossbow,” he said.

Hoffman, 57, was found lying face-up on her tiled entryway Friday evening by sheriff’s deputies asked by Silva to check on her. Dressed in a jacket, blouse and slacks, she apparently had returned from walking her poodle, which deputies found with its leash still on.

An autopsy Saturday found she bled to death of wounds to her heart, aorta and other organs. One source said that the arrow entered Hoffman’s body at a downward angle, suggesting she may have been ambushed from the stairway at the condo entrance.

Sheriff’s detectives were tight-lipped Wednesday about possible suspects or motives in the slaying, but sources said they sent out a bulletin to other police agencies in the county, detailing the unusual circumstances regarding the arrow attack.

Detectives Bob Blackburn, Hans Strand and Sgt. Randy Benicky also requested anyone with information to call them at (714) 647-7048.

As detectives sought the killer, associates of Hoffman on Wednesday mourned her loss and described her as a sophisticated, accomplished woman with a widely varied career history, ranging from politics to a stint with the late industrialist and world-class art collector Norton Simon.

“She was just great, so gracious and professional,” said Connie Silva, wife of the new county supervisor, who helped her husband interview Hoffman for the job as key aide. “She was recommended to us as a possible person Jim might want to consider interviewing as an executive secretary by Lyle Overby.”

Overby is a seasoned political consultant involved with such Orange County politicians as Silva and also big business.

“Lyle had known her probably 20 years,” Connie Silva said. “Off and on, he said, (their) paths would cross. She was working a little bit in politics. The business she was in, Lyle had occasion to run into her, and he was highly impressed with her skills and as a person.”

The resume Hoffman provided to the Silvas showed work experience that was exactly what they were looking for, Connie Silva said.

From 1978 through 1991, she was office manager and a systems consultant to clients of her late husband’s firm, Carrier Consultants Inc. From 1975 through 1987, she managed the office of her husband’s business as a California probate referee. From 1972 to 1974, Hoffman had worked as a secretary for a political consulting firm called Fred Harber and Associates. From 1970 to 1972 she was office manager and secretary to lawyer Conrad Tuohey, then worked with him in his unsuccessful bid for the 37th Congressional District seat.

Her most famous employer was Norton Simon. From 1962 to 1970, Hoffman worked for Simon’s company. She started as a secretary, became executive secretary to the president of Simon’s then-new company and went on to work on special projects for Simon himself, including his failed bid for the U.S. Senate.

But friends said Hoffman’s husband, Joel, who died last March after a long battle with cancer, was her primary devotion. After he died, she found herself in need of work and a focus.

Her only child, Charles Hoffman, is a 25-year-old ex-Marine and student living in Yorba Linda.

Overby, knowing of her skills, recommended her to Silva as he was campaigning for county supervisor. She worked for him as a volunteer and was hired as his executive secretary following his election.

On Wednesday, Silva was sworn into office and his secretary’s office was dark. His wife said he has yet to grapple with Hoffman’s loss.

Hoffman had failed to show up for Jim Silva’s first staff meeting Friday, and as the hours went by without a phone call from her, he became more alarmed. At the end of the day, he asked the Sheriff’s Department to check on her home.

“Sheriff Brad Gates called me personally that night and said, ‘Jim, I have the most horrible news for you,’ ” Silva said. “One of my regrets is that I didn’t get to know her even better. My entire family thinks the world of her.”