Calif. man accused of killing woman whose body was found in trunk of burning vehicle
02/16/2024 4:19 pm PST
TULARE, Calif. (TCD) -- Police arrested a 44-year-old man this week who they allege killed a woman and left her remains in the trunk of a car.
According to a news release from the Tulare Police Department, in the early hours of Thursday, Feb. 15, officers received multiple calls regarding a possible vehicle collision near Bardsley Avenue and Laspina Street. Officers responded to the area and observed a car on fire.
Police said the vehicle was in the road but hadn’t been involved in a crash, KBAK-TV reports.
After Tulare Fire personnel extinguished the flames, officers found the body of a 57-year-old woman from Los Angeles inside the trunk. Police did not disclose the victim’s identity or whether she died before or after the fire engulfed the car.
According to officers, detectives identified Branden Howard as the primary suspect in the woman’s death. Law enforcement officials located Howard 18 hours after finding the female’s remains and took him into custody on suspicion of homicide.
The motive is still under investigation, as is the suspect’s relationship to the victim.
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