LANCASTER (CBSLA.com) — A community in Lancaster is shocked that a beloved resident was found fatally stabbed Thursday night in her home.
Deputies discovered the body an 86-year-old woman around 6:30 p.m. Thursday on Stillwater Drive near West Oldfield Street, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department reports.
They went to the home after an anonymous caller reported one of the windows was left open.
The woman suffered stab wounds to the upper part of her body. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Neighbors say she lived alone.
They say she was well-known in her neighborhood and had just won an award for community service. She baked cakes and always had a smile for people on the block.
Residents added the woman’s adult children came to the home Thursday night after hearing about what happened.
Investigators are not confirming if they have made any arrests in the case or if this murder began as a robbery.
A neighbor told CBS2/KCAL9’s Kara Finnstrom he saw a man at the scene being put into a LASD patrol car and being taken away.
A spokesperson for the sheriff’s department later told CBS2/KCAL9 a 14-year-old suspect is in custody, accused in the stabbing death. The teen was found hiding in the bushes near the victim’s home, according to law enforcement. Deputies are looking into burglary as a possible motive.
The teen’s identity was not immediately released.
