Grief Counselors Made Available To Students After Woman's Death In Westwood
WESTWOOD (CBSLA.com) — UCLA will make grief counselors available to students Tuesday following the death of one of their peers – a woman whose body was found at the scene of an apartment fire in Westwood and may have been the victim of a homicide.
"On behalf of the entire UCLA community, I extend our deepest condolences to her family and friends," said UCLA Chancellor Gene Block. "UCLA is a close-knit community, and this tragic event affects us all."
Firefighters were sent to the 10900 block of Roebling Avenue at 7:05 a.m. Monday, the first day of UCLA's fall quarter. There were preliminary reports that a person might still be in the burning apartment, so firefighters searched the home and found the woman, whom they say was beyond medical help.
The cause of the fire, which was extinguished in about 15 minutes, was under investigation, he said.
Los Angeles police officials initially said the woman's boyfriend was being sought as a person of interest, but retracted that statement later.
An investigation into the woman's death is continuing, and detectives are still trying to determine whether she died in or before the fire.
The woman's name was not immediately released, pending family notification. The Daily Bruin, UCLA's student newspaper, reported that she was entering her fourth year at UCLA and was studying psychology and Spanish.
Block said grief counselors would meet "with those who have been affected by this tragic loss." He said students who wish to speak with a grief counselor should contact UCLA Counseling and Psychological Services.
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