Woman Found Murdered In Backyard Of Her Arcadia Home

ARCADIA (CBSLA) – A 76-year-old woman was found murdered in the backyard of her home in Arcadia Tuesday morning and her car is missing.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department reports that a construction worker found the woman's body at around 7 a.m. in the 300 block of East Forest Avenue.

The victim was alone in the backyard. There was no one else on the property or inside the home, Arcadia police said.

The woman's husband was believed to be out of the country at the time, officials told CBS2.

The woman's car, a white 2005 Lexus RX 300, is missing and may have been stolen around the time of the murder, deputies said. Investigators are searching for the car, which has license plate number 5L0G473.

The victim's name and a possible motive in the murder was not immediately released. The L.A. County coroner's office will determine the exact cause of death.

There was no word on whether detectives had identified a suspect.

Arcadia police told CBS2 that the case has been turned over to L.A. County Sheriff's homicide detectives.

Julia Quintero, who has lived in the neighborhood for 25 years, said she became concerned when she heard news helicopters circling overhead.

"It's scary, because this is not something that normally happens in this neighborhood," Quintero said. "So if you hear a helicopter that hasn't left within a minute or so, something's up."

Anyone with information on the case was urged to contact LASD Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500.