The Alhambra Police Department moved Tuesday to quash social media speculation that the deaths of three women whose bodies were found in Almansor Park within less than a year were connected and possibly the result of a serial killer in the area.
A woman in her 60s whose body was found in the lake at Almansor Park about 6:50 a.m. on Sept. 15 was the latest person to be found dead in the area. In a statement released this afternoon, police said they were aware of the rumors and stressed that they have found no evidence of foul play in any of the deaths, one of which was ruled a suicide and the other as accidental.
“We understand these incidents are concerning and may cause some people to be afraid. Your safety is our top priority. Please be assured, there is no public safety threat associated with any of these incidents,” the statement read.
Police moved to address the rumors after at least two posts on social media stirred alarm. In a Twitter post last Thursday, which was retweeted more than 1,300 times, a woman wrote: “There’s a potential serial killer targeting elderly women.”
Another woman, in a post on Saturday, wrote: “There have been at least three elderly Asian women found dead in similar circumstances this year in and around Almansor Park and the police continue to say there is no foul play or person of interest in any of their deaths?”
Police noted in their statement that the two previous deaths “have been thoroughly investigated by the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office and the Alhambra Police Department,” including the death of a 59-year-old woman found in the lake at Almansor Park last Dec. 11.
The coroner’s office determined she took her own life, and ruled the Jan. 17 death of a 71-year-old woman found near the wash at Almansor Park was due to hypothermia, according to police. Autopsy results on the body found last week have not been released, “but the initial investigation shows no foul play was involved,” according to the statement.
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