A missing woman and a male were found dead inside a zipped tent at a homeless encampment, according to California police, and neighbors said that they were partially eaten by dogs.
The bodies of 46-year-old Lucrecia Macias Barajas and a male were found at the encampment in the Westlake district of Los Angeles. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office has not yet released the identity of the deceased male.
‘I want people to know she wasn’t a homeless drug addict, because that’s not true.’
Barajas’ family members had been searching for her for several days and tracked the signal from her cell phone to the encampment. The woman was a mother to six children and an Army veteran.
The tent was reportedly locked up from inside.
One of her daughters, Amely Becerra, rejected rumors about her mother in a statement to the the Westside Current.
“I want people to know she wasn’t a homeless drug addict, because that’s not true,” she said. “She was just at the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Neighbors said that the homeless encampment was known for violence, drug use, and other unsafe conditions. They also said that their calls about the encampment were ignored.
Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
“This place has been a danger zone,” said one resident of the neighborhood. “People don’t feel safe, and nothing is ever done to clear it for good.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has called on cities in the state to crack down on homeless encampments, after a Supreme Court ruling eased the regulations limiting law enforcement against homeless people.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass released a statement about the incident.
“This case reinforces our urgent need to address this grave humanitarian crisis,” she said. “We will continue collaborating with the council office to bring more Angelenos inside and do all that we can to improve public safety.”
Video from the scene can be viewed on the news report from KTLA-TV on its YouTube channel.
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