Reward offered amid search for ex-boyfriend suspected of killing mother of 3 in Sylmar as she drove to work
04/18/2017 2:23 pm PDT
By Tracy Bloom, KTLA
LOS ANGELES -- (KTLA) -- Los Angeles police on Tuesday are preparing to announce a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of a man suspected of killing his ex-girlfriend in Sylmar earlier this year.
Eloise Elizarraraz, a mother of three young children, was driving to work on Jan. 7 when she was killed, according to a Los Angeles Police Department news release.
Elizarraraz, 34, was found shot to death inside her BMW in the area of Harding Street and Tripoli Avenue just before 9 a.m., the Los Angeles Times reported.
She died at the scene.
The victim was described as a “unique soul” who would “light up a room” wherever she went and made others laugh, according to a GoFundMe fundraising page set up after her death to pay funeral costs and help out her children.
“She will be greatly missed by everyone who knew her,” wrote Marisa Gonzalez, who set up the fundraising page.
Detectives have identified the suspect in the case as the victim's ex-boyfriend, Jose Benjamin Rodriguez, according to LAPD. A motive for the fatal shooting has not been released.
Police are hoping the reward may convince reluctant relatives or those close to the suspect to provide information that will lead to his location and arrest, the release stated.
The victim's family members are expected to attend the 1:30 p.m. news conference, where the reward will be formally announced.