Woman Found Dead Of Apparent Stabbing Inside Simi Valley Home
SIMI VALLEY (CBS) — An investigation was under way in Simi Valley Friday after a 66-year-old woman was found dead inside her home in Simi Valley.
Janice Somple's boyfriend found her body and alerted authorities.
The discovery was made just before 8 p.m. Thursday in a home in the 1500 block of Carmen Drive.
Authorities say Somple had apparently been stabbed although an exact cause of death has not been established.
Neighbors described Somple as a retired high school English teacher who worked at Westlake High School and was very bubbly.
They say she lived in the home for more than 30 years and was planning to hold a wedding reception for one of her daughters inside the home this summer.
Neighbors say Somple went through a divorce after a long marriage and, later, became reacquainted with a high school sweetheart at a class reunion. Neighbors say the two spent the past few years traveling together.
"They knew each other from high school and went on trips together," a neighbor said.
Police were not providing any details about the investigation or about possible suspects.
"We're terrified, I'm terrified for my kids," said Janna Nogy, who lives across the street from Somple.
"I'm terrified. It makes me scared to sleep at night because I don't know if I'm safe, if this was a random act, if this was somebody that she knew...so, yes, it changes the feeling of the neighborhood entirely," Nogy said.
Charles Pfister lived next door to the deceased for nearly 30 years. He told Juan Fernandez, reporting for CBS2 and KCAL9, that he found it "hard to imagine" anyone would want to harm Somple.
Fernandez reports the woman's boyfriend was interviewed by police Thursday evening and released.
