Police Identify Shooting Victims Found in Minivan
Police have identified a man and woman who were found shot to death and wrapped in plastic garbage bags inside a minivan parked in Mar Vista last week.
The victims are Robert J. Gonzales, 40, of Hawthorne, and Santa Monica resident Martha Meza, described as being around 30. Police are trying to contact Meza’s next of kin, said Lt. Al Michelena.
The bodies were discovered Thursday by neighbors in the 1700 block of Glyndon Avenue who had detected a putrid odor wafting from Gonzales’ minivan.
One body was found on the back seat and the other was buried under blankets and a baby carriage on the rear floor of the van.
Gonzales worked at a rest home in the West Los Angeles community and failed to return home from work July 22. His wife, Blanca, reported him missing to Hawthorne police.
Police haven’t determined Meza’s profession.
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