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Second Victim In Bizarre Double Murder Was A Teenage Boy
The second victim in a mysterious Hacienda Heights double murder has been identified as a teenage boy.
Police discovered the significantly decomposed bodies of two people in a Hacienda Heights home in early October after neighbors reported a foul smell coming from the house and said they hadn't seen the homeowner in a week. One of the bodies was identified as the homeowner, 84-year-old June Collins, on October 14. The second victim, who was discovered in a separate room from Collins, has been identified as 16-year-old Gavin Bustamante, the San Gabriel Valley Tribune reports. It's not clear what relationship, if any, the two have or why the boy was at the woman's house in the first place.
Authorities said that the home showed no signs of forced entry nor was it ransacked, but that there was evidence of a struggle. They don't believe that the motive was robbery, though Collins' Toyota Corolla was missing and later found parked in the 12100 block of Magnolia St. in El Monte.
Collins has a son in his 50s who lived with her, but he is currently in jail on suspicion of elder abuse. Authorities say that Collins' son had friends—many of them drug addicts—who would frequently stay with Collins and would often take advantage of the fact that she had dementia.
Anyone with information should contact the Sheriff's Department's Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500.