Cinema News: Overdose or homicide? Daughters of an army vet want answers

News Alert

A daughter finds her mother dead in an L.A. homeless encampment. Was it an overdose or homicide?

Lucrecia Macias Barajas, 46, was found dead May 12 by one of her three daughters after she traced her mother's cellphone to a large, tarp-covered shelter in a notorious Westlake cul-de-sac. Another dead body, that of an unidentified man, was also found inside, along with two live dogs, according to officials.

The LAPD has characterized the death as a suspected drug overdose, and told The Times at the time of the incident that it was not investigating the matter as a homicide. But the daughters of the dead woman, a U.S. army veteran, say the LAPD was too quick to rule out foul play.


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