Apparent Double-Suicide Discovered at Campground
Authorities on Saturday identified a West Hollywood couple who apparently committed suicide in a car in the Angeles National Forest.
The victims were identified as Susan Lee Spence, 42, and Randolph Thomas Ruth, 21. They were parked in the Monte Cristo campground near mile marker 16.68, about 20 miles north of La Crescenta.
A passerby found the couple about 5:30 p.m. Thursday. There was a flexible aluminum hose extending from the car’s exhaust pipe to the left rear window, said Cheryl MacWillie of the Los Angeles County coroner’s office.
The ignition was on, but the engine had stopped running, she said. Paramedics called to the campground found the couple dead. A dead cat was also found in the car.
A parking permit dated April 19, 5:30 p.m., was found in the vehicle, and the couple appeared to have been dead for a couple of days, authorities said.
The couple lived at the same address in West Hollywood, MacWillie said.
No suicide note was found. The deaths are being considered suicide pending autopsy results.
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