Police Seek Help Identifying Woman Found Slain in Watts

Homicide detectives are asking for the public’s help in the case of a woman found slain in a residential area in Watts.

Police have no suspects and have yet to determine the woman’s identity. Investigators have released a sketch, hoping someone might recognize the victim.

“This is a tough one, because we not only have no idea who she is, but where she came from,” said Los Angeles Police Det. Dave Cedeno, of the Robbery-Homicide Division. “It’s a puzzle right now.”

The woman’s body was found Dec. 21 in an alleyway in the 1700 block of East 113th St. The woman was African American, about 50 to 55 years old and weighed 225 pounds. Her hair was dyed blond, and she was wearing a matching pink cotton outfit and a yellow metal ring with a blue stone, investigators said.

Cedeno said that police found no identification on the body and that attempts to identify her by checking her fingerprints against criminal records turned up nothing. He said the woman died from trauma to the upper body.

“We’ve gone through the neighborhood and nobody knows who she is,” Cedeno said. He said police now believe the woman may have lived outside of Los Angeles.

Police also say the woman may have been the victim of a sexual assault, though autopsy results have proved inconclusive.

Anyone with information should call the LAPD at (213) 485-2921.