Local News in Brief : Tustin : Woman May Have Been Slain Before Fire Started

Investigators now believe that a woman was murdered Tuesday before being burned in an arson fire at a Tustin apartment, police said.

County coroner’s investigators have not yet identified the body, believed to be that of a 44-year-old woman who lived in the apartment with her boyfriend, Tustin Police Lt. Walt Wedemeyer said Wednesday.

“It’s going to take awhile. The body is pretty badly burned,” Wedemeyer said. “Until (the body is identified) we can only guess, to some degree of accuracy, that we know who the person is.”

Police found the woman’s stolen car in Santa Ana on Wednesday morning and hope it will lead them to a suspect, Wedemeyer said.

The blue, 1988 Hyundai had a damaged front and rear end and two flat tires, Wedemeyer said. Police found it near Bristol Street and Warner Avenue in Santa Ana. It apparently was abandoned after an accident.

An autopsy indicated that the woman was killed before being burned in the fire, Wedemeyer said. However, the exact cause of death may remain unknown for several weeks while coroner’s investigators run toxicology tests and investigators search through debris for a weapon.

Police continued Wednesday to look for a suspect seen in the area before the fire.

Fire investigators determined that the fire was intentionally set, but they do not know the exact cause, Fire Department spokeswoman Patti Range said.

Fire officials determined that the fire caused $60,000 in damage: $40,000 to the structure and $20,000 to the contents of the apartment.