Body Found in Kern County Identified as Missing Palmdale Woman

A body found last month in rural Kern County has been identified as that of a Palmdale seamstress who disappeared in August, a Los Angeles County sheriff’s spokeswoman said Friday.

Deputies had been searching for Nada Lazarevic, 67, since she was reported missing Aug. 25, said sheriff’s spokeswoman Sonya Parra.

Kern County deputies reported finding the body of an unidentified woman Sept. 8 off California 178 in Onyx.

Earlier this week, authorities used dental records and other personal information to identify the body, Parra said.

Ken Walker, Lazarevic’s son-in-law, was arrested Sept. 12, released and rearrested two days later in connection with her disappearance.

The 39-year-old Palmdale mechanic, who is being held without bail in Twin Towers Jail in downtown Los Angeles, has been charged with one count of murder with a special allegation that the slaying was committed for financial gain.

Detectives said they suspected early on that what began as a missing person’s report was a case of foul play.

Lazarevic, who ran a sewing business out of her home and kept to a specific schedule, vanished without taking her heart medicine or alerting her family, friends or neighbors.

Walker is scheduled to be arraigned Oct. 17 in Los Angeles Superior Court.

Sheriff’s detectives said the investigation is continuing.