A man has been arrested on suspicion of killing his roommate who was found dead in an El Monte dumpster after bystanders reported seeing a man dragging the victim’s body, officials announced Wednesday.
David Lemus-Orellana, 22, is accused of killing Florinda Velazquez Fernandez, a 64-year-old woman from El Salvador. Her family previously said the victim was 62.
It is unclear how the victim died and the motive is unknown, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department officials said in an updated news release.
Velazquez Fernandez’s body was discovered buried under trash in a garbage bin along the 3300 block of Maxson Road Tuesday morning.
The person called who authorities said they saw a man dragging a woman’s body from a trailer in a mobile home park nearby out to the street, officials said. A neighbor shared home security video that they believe shows Velasquez Fernandez’s killer pushing a large blue tub out to a dumpster Tuesday morning.
It is unclear if Lemus-Orellana was the man seen dragging the victim’s body.
A person was detained for questioning after the body was found, but it is also unclear if that person was Lemus-Orellana.
Velazquez Fernandez was renting a room in a four-bedroom home in the park that she shared with two brothers and an older man, relatives say.
Her family previously told KTLA that one of those men — who they say was mean to Velasquez Fernandez and involved with drugs — is responsible for her death.
The victim is survived by two daughters and several grandchildren.
Anyone with additional information about the incident or the suspect can call the sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500, or submit a tip anonymously via 800-222-8477 or www.lacrimestoppers.org.
