3 Men Found Dead At Norwalk Home Under Mysterious Circumstances

NORWALK (CBSLA) – Authorities are attempting to determine if drugs or chemicals are to blame for the deaths of three men in their 30s whose bodies were found in the backyard of a home in Norwalk early Thursday morning.

At 3:12 a.m., Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies and L.A. County firefighters responded to a 911 call from a home in the 12000 block of Portugal Court, where they found three men dead at the scene.

One of the men was found dead in a pool and two others were found dead on the side of the pool, a sheriff's department spokesperson told CBSLA. The victims were not officially identified.

Undated photo of Johnny Montoya (Courtesy photo)

All three men rented rooms in the home, authorities said. It's unclear who made the 911 call. There were two women and two young children, ages 1 and 3, inside the home at the time.

Victoria Garcia told CBSLA that her daughter rented a room in the home with her boyfriend, 35-year-old Johnny Montoya, and their two children. She said Montoya was one of the victims.

"She's been with Johnny for like six years, and they have two kids," Garcia said. "And they rent a room here."

The cause of death is still unknown, but there were no immediate sign of drowning or trauma on any of the victims, sheriff's Lt. Charles Calderaro told CBSLA, leading investigators to suspect narcotics may have been involved. The L.A. County coroner's office will conduct toxicology reports to determine if drugs were a factor.

Three men were found dead at a home in Norwalk, Calif., on Oct. 1, 2020. (CBSLA)

"It's very preliminary, the coroner is not here yet," sheriff's Lt. Charles Calderaro said. "We haven't moved any evidence around to assess further. But initial observations, there's no obvious signs of death."

The entire cul-de-sac was evacuated and blocked off while hazmat crews canvassed the home for chemicals or drugs.

"We have to do it cautiously, because if there were contaminants, chemicals involved, we don't want to unnecessarily expose our people or the crime lab," Calderaro added.

The two women were detained for questioning and medical evaluations were being conducted on the children, who appeared to be unharmed.

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