3 Bodies Found In Long Beach Apartment
LONG BEACH (CBSLA.com) — The deaths of three people found in a Long Beach apartment were under investigation Tuesday.
The victims were found around 7 p.m. Monday after officers were dispatched to an apartment complex in the 1100 block of Gardenia Avenue on reports of a foul odor coming from one unit, police said.
The bodies, in various stages of decomposition, were that of a man in his 50s, a woman in her 30s and another man whose age was not known. Their identities were not released, but officials said they had moved into the apartment Jan. 2.
Neighbors who live in similar units say they are nervous after the discovery.
"I'm always really scared of those things anyway," neighbor Myra Deloa said. "Now imagine that's really even more scary."
The two victims whose ages were known were reportedly a couple.
"A large portable propane heater was located inside the unit it appears the occupants were using for warmth," police said.
Authorities believe the victims may have been overcome by carbon monoxide; however, their official cause of death has yet to be determined. The on-site manager says that none of the units has carbon monoxide detectors.
"You might say 'I'm just not feeling good today,' and attribute it to that," Long Beach Fire Department's Jake Heflin said. "And then you go home and go to sleep, and the next thing you know, you're not waking up."
The case was being investigated as an accident, the Coroner's Office said.
