Body May Be That of Tennis Pro

A charred body believed to be that of a former tennis coach at a prominent San Fernando Valley private school was found in a burned-out car in the Mojave Desert, about a week after he was reported missing, authorities said Thursday.

The 1982 Nissan 280Z belonging to Richard Kinuya, 43, of Studio City, a former coach at Harvard-Westlake School, was found Feb. 4, said Sgt. Tom Neely of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.

The body, burned beyond recognition, had not been positively identified Thursday. But “It’s a high probability that it is” Kinuya, Neely said.

It was not known how long the body had been at the remote desert site, about 10 miles north of Baker off California 127.

Kinuya had been the girls’ tennis team coach for four seasons at Harvard-Westlake when he suddenly resigned in January 1997. He also was a teaching pro at the Racquet Centre of Universal City, and had a second job as adult league coordinator for the Westwood-based Southern California Tennis Assn., the local arm of the United States Tennis Assn., which oversees tennis tournament play in the area.

Kinuya’s wife, Leslie, reported him missing to Los Angeles police on Jan. 27. San Bernardino sheriff’s officials said they had information placing Kinuya in the Baker area around Jan. 30, but said they did not know why Kinuya was there.

Kinuya’s wife did not return a call seeking comment.

“There’s no indication of foul play, but we’re not ruling that out,” Neely said. “Based on the condition of the car and the body, that was suspicious enough for us to be requested to become involved in the investigation.”

An autopsy was performed Wednesday. San Bernardino County coroner’s officials said there were no stab or gunshot wounds on the body.

The car was reported to authorities by a Bureau of Land Management ranger who spotted it while patrolling the area.

It was not known whether there had been a robbery because the car and corpse were so badly burned, authorities said.

Patty Kirby, a friend and former student of Kinuya’s, said Kinuya told acquaintances he was going to drive toward San Diego, searching for sites to hold tennis tournaments this summer. He left Jan. 26, she said.

Kirby said she did not know why his car turned up in Baker.

“It has to be foul play, it has to be,” Kirby said. “I love this guy and there are zillions of people in the Studio City area involved in tennis and everybody is upset and can’t believe he’s gone, if it is him. I’m hoping it’s not him, but it almost has to be.”

Kinuya would sometimes go to Las Vegas to get away, Kirby said, but was the kind of person who would let many people know if he planned to take time off, so that his teams and students would be prepared for his absence.

The cause of death is pending toxicology tests, which should be available in about six to eight weeks, Neely said. Coroner’s officials said they also intend to examine tissue samples.

Neely said they will attempt to match Kinuya’s dental records to the body as soon as Kinuya’s wife is able to locate them.

If records can’t be found, authorities say they will try to match the teeth seen in a smiling photo of Kinuya. If that doesn’t work, authorities will have to resort to DNA testing, which could take five to six weeks.

Local tennis players were shocked and upset at Kinuya’s disappearance. They said Kinuya had no enemies, and was loved by all who knew him.