LA County detectives ask for help solving brutal killing of 27-year-old Karla Terron
Homicide detectives are asking for the public's help solving the killing of Karla Terron, a 27-year-old San Fernando woman whose body was found near a freeway off-ramp in Bakersfield in late 2022.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department held a news conference Thursday in San Fernando revealing new details in the case and asking for specific bits of information that could help investigators. However, detectives declined to disclose a possible motive or any potential suspects, saying they are withholding those details to protect the investigation.
"We hope people will have the courage to come forward and help investigators identify the information they are looking for," LA County Sheriff's Lt. Michael Modica said. "This information will help make this an even stronger case."
On Dec. 17, 2022, around 5 a.m., Terron's body was found engulfed in flames on the southbound State Route 99, near the off-ramp for Hosking Avenue in Bakersfield, authorities said. She was the mother of two young children, ages 10 and 8, according to Modica, who said her family has been devastated by her death.
"They lost a loved one, a family member, a mother," Modica said. "It's been very hard on them. It's been very hard on them to speak with investigators about the case."
While Terron's body had been burned, the medical examiner ruled her cause of death was multiple stab wounds, Modica said.
He said detectives have learned more about Terron's whereabouts the night before she was found after months of investigation.
The evening prior, she was with acquaintances at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post in San Fernando, near a restaurant where she worked as a waitress, according to Modica. From there, she went to a home in San Fernando where she was killed, he said.
Investigators believe her body was then driven to Bakersfield inside a white 2021 Honda CR-V, which was impounded and examined by authorities. Where she was found is about 110 miles from where she is believed to have been last seen alive.
"Detectives were able to identify DNA evidence that Karla's body had been in the rear cargo area of that vehicle," Modica said.
Now, investigators with the sheriff's department are asking people to come forward if they saw that vehicle on the night of Dec. 16, 2022 or the early morning hours of Dec. 17, 2022 in San Fernando, near the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post on Hagar Street or Knox Street. Those who may have seen the vehicle in Bakersfield during those times are also asked to come forward, he said.
Modica said some people detectives have spoken with have said they heard gunshots near Knox Street around the time Terron is believed to have been killed. Now, they are looking for anyone else who heard gunshots in that area the night of Dec. 16, 2022 or during the early morning hours the next day.
Terron's phone has never been found, Modica said, so investigators also want to hear from anyone who found a cellphone during those same times. The sheriff's lieutenant said these details are crucial.
"It's small pieces of a big puzzle, and we got a majority of those pieces together," Modica said. "This is going to help us put those smaller pieces in place."
Anyone with information can reach the sheriff's department's Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call LA Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477) or visit lacrimestoppers.org.
