Officials Seek to Verify Identity of 2 Bodies

Coroner’s officials said Monday that they hope to use dental records to identify two badly decomposed bodies found inside an apartment over the weekend.

Autopsies on the two, tentatively identified by the apartment manager as Dennis Arnold Rice, 54, and his niece Lori Vanboxtel, 32, were inconclusive, said Larry Esslinger, supervising deputy coroner. Toxicology test results, he said, could take one to four months.

The bodies were found at the Baltimore Apartments in the 2900 block of Lincoln Avenue about 5 p.m. Sunday after manager Melvin Bonilla notified police that a strong odor was emanating from the unit, police said.

Bonilla told authorities that Rice had moved into the apartment with his wife in 1997. She moved out about a year ago, he said, and the niece had lived there about eight months.

Authorities found the two decomposed corpses seated in the living room. Beer cans and liquor bottles were strewn about the apartment, investigators said, but no weapons were found.

Anaheim Police Sgt. Joe Vargas said Rice may have been ill, but the two should not have died at the same time. Both appeared to have been dead a week or more, he said, and their feet were chewed off, apparently by two dogs that were in the home and had run out of food. Animal control officers took custody of the dogs, which were expected to be claimed by family members, police said.

Neighbors told investigators they had not seen Dennis Rice and Lori Rice for several days.