Woman found dead in Carmel Valley, suspect arrested

Police discovered the body of a 73-year-old woman in her Carmel Valley home on June 16. The woman had been killed, according to a police report.

San Diego Police officers and paramedics responded at 10:25 p.m. Tuesday, June 16, to a residence in the 3700 block of Carmel View Road regarding a “check the welfare” call. The reporting party felt an elderly female was in need of help, the police report said.

When officers arrived, they received no response at the front door, but heard a woman talking and a dog barking from inside. Because of the nature of the call, the officers opened the front door and found a 51-year-old woman standing in the front living room. She directed the officers to the body of a deceased 73-year-old woman inside the residence. The victim had sustained trauma to her upper body.

Based on the preliminary investigation, Lara Epstein, 51, of San Diego was arrested in connection with the death of the female victim, according to the police report. Epstein was booked into the Las Colinas Detention Facility.

The victim’s identity is known but will not be released until family notifications have been made.

Anyone with information related to this incident is encouraged to call the San Diego Police Department’s Homicide Unit or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.