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Grandson Arrested In Fatal Stabbing Of Simi Valley Woman

SIMI VALLEY (CBS) — A 23-year-old man has been arrested in the stabbing death of his 75-year-old grandmother, police announced Monday.

Gustavo Rios, a transient, was arrested Sunday for the murder of Isabel Hernandez, Simi Valley police said.

Hernandez was found dead around 4 p.m. Sunday in her Simi Valley apartment, located in the 1500 block of Patricia Avenue, after police followed up on a welfare call, officials said.

Isabel Hernandez and Gustavo Rios
(credit: CA DMV and Simi Valley Police Department)

Family members said they had been unable to contact Hernandez and that her apartment was locked. When officers forced their way into her home, they found Hernandez stabbed to death.

"SVPD Detectives took control of the investigation, which revealed that her grandson, Gustavo Rios, had stabbed the victim in the apartment," police said.

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Rios was arrested in the parking lot of the Simi Valley Police Station while speaking with detectives about the crime, according to officials.

A motive for the murder was unclear, police said.

Simi Valley has consistently ranked in the top 10 safest cities in America, according to an annual FBI study.

The city averages two murders per year. There have been three homicides to date in 2012.

"One thing about the murders that we've been having is that they're not random. In every single one, the victim and the suspect know each other," Lt. Joseph May said.

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