Crime & Safety

Woman Found Dead in Pool

It's too early in the investigation for officials to conclusively determine what caused the 53-year-old woman's death, police say.

The death of a 53-year-old woman found in a swimming pool at a Hermosa Beach residence is being called "suspicious," said Sgt. Don Jones of the .

The deceased woman, who police have not identified, was found in the pool of a residence in the 2100 block of Loma Drive after dispatchers received a call around 8 a.m. Saturday morning, said Jones.

Jones told Patch a death is "always suspicious" unless the individual has "blatant medical issues."

Find out what's happening in Hermosa Beachwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Hermosa resident Lisa Ryder, who lives at one end of Loma Drive near the 2100 block, said she heard sirens around 8 a.m. and saw police cars in the area around 9:15 a.m. Another Loma Drive resident said he saw a paramedic vehicle, fire department vehicle and an ambulance heading past his house around 8 a.m.

Jones told Patch no one was in custody related to the death and that Hermosa police detectives "will probably interview" the three women who were at the house where the body was found. He said the investigation would remain "in house" unless the coroner rules the death a homicide.

Find out what's happening in Hermosa Beachwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

If the death is ruled a homicide, the investigation will be turned over to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

The dead woman was a visitor, said Jones, and one of the three women at the home when public safety officials arrived was the property owner or renter. 

He said there was no visible trauma to the body when authorities recovered it, and that illegal substances were not found during their initial on-scene investigation. As for alcohol, he said, "I probably shouldn't comment on that."

Hermosa Beach Neighborhood Watch issued the following in an email Saturday morning:

Hermosa Beach Police Department
Homicide Alert
July 14, 2012

HBPD is currently out in the 2100 Block of Loma on a murder investigation. Los Angeles County Sheriff's Homicide Investigator's are also present. No outstanding suspect. Isolated incident. More information to HBNW residents when available.

As of 4:15 p.m. Saturday, Neighborhood Watch had not issued any email updates.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.

More from Hermosa Beach