Woman From Castaic Found Slain in Desert
The charred body of a woman found in the desert 50 miles north of Las Vegas earlier this month was identified Monday as that of a legal secretary from Castaic missing since Aug. 2, authorities said.
Gloria “Chris” Cole, 59, disappeared after leaving a law firm in downtown Los Angeles to catch a Santa Clarita Transit bus to Castaic. Her live-in boyfriend disappeared about the same time, authorities said.
On Wednesday, David Chen, 55, turned up in a Canoga Park motel room and shot himself in the head as police approached to ask him why he was driving Cole’s car.
At 3:57 a.m. Aug. 11, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department received a call about a fire next to the road along Nevada Route 168, about two miles west of Interstate 15, said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Sgt. Rick Myers.
He said a passing motorist notified authorities, who found the body of a woman who had been shot and set afire.
The law firm where Cole worked had offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to her safe return.
More to Read
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
