Mother of 3 of Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s children found dead in car

An ex-girlfriend of boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. who was the mother of three of his children was found dead in a Southern California suburb, authorities said. The coroner's office confirmed Wednesday that the woman was Josie Harris, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva told KABC-TV.

The woman was found just before 10 p.m. Tuesday in a vehicle parked in the driveway of her apparent residence just outside the city of Santa Clarita and firefighters pronounced her dead, a sheriff's department statement said.

CBS Los Angeles reports that detectives did not confirm if they had identified any suspects in the case but a homicide investigation is underway. Sheriff's investigators and the coroner's office were working to determine the cause of death, Villanueva said.

"It will take a while to figure that out," he said.

In 2010, Harris alleged that Mayweather attacked her in Las Vegas. The following year he pleaded guilty to a reduced misdemeanor charge and served two months in jail.

In 2015, Harris sued Mayweather for defamation and intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress in response to statements he made about the incident during an interview.

During his response to questions about domestic violence, Mayweather said: "Did I kick, stomp, and beat someone? No, that didn't happen. I look in your face and say, 'No, that didn't happen.' Did I restrain a woman that was on drugs? Yes, I did. So if they say that's domestic violence, then you know what? ... I'm guilty of restraining a person."

In 2018, a California appeals court ruled against Mayweather's objections and allowed the lawsuit to proceed.