Palm Desert woman arrested on suspicion of murder at condo community

PALM DESERT, Calif (KESQ A 65-year-old Palm Desert woman is in custody on suspicion of murder after a person was found dead with injuries consistent with a physical assault at The Enclave condo community Friday morning, the Riverside County Sheriff's Office said Saturday.

The woman was at the scene when deputies arrived and was taken into custody without incident, according to the sheriff's office. She was later booked into the John Benoit Detention Center in Indio on suspicion of murder.

News Channel 3 is not naming the woman. It is station policy not to identify people arrested in connection with a crime until prosecutors formally file charges against them.

Deputies from the Palm Desert Sheriff's Station were called to the 35000 block of Gateway Drive at 9:47 a.m. Friday. When they arrived, they found a person suffering from "traumatic injuries consistent with a physical assault," the sheriff's office said. The person was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Riverside Sheriff's Central Homicide Unit took over the investigation. As News Channel 3 reported Friday, crime scene tape blocked off part of the complex and a heavy sheriff's presence remained at the property into the afternoon, with investigators working under a tent set up inside the gated community.

The sheriff's office has not released the victim's name, age or gender, pending notification of family. Investigators also have not said what led to the assault or whether the woman and the victim knew each other.

Saturday's announcement is the first time the sheriff's office has publicly called the death a homicide. On Friday, officials would say only that a person had been found unresponsive and that homicide investigators had assumed the case.

The woman remains in custody at the John Benoit Detention Center. It was not immediately clear when she will make her first court appearance. The Riverside County District Attorney's Office will decide whether to file formal charges.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Central Homicide Unit Investigator Chua at (951) 955-1700 or Palm Desert Sheriff's Station Investigator Mitroff at (760) 836-1600.

This is a developing story. Stay with News Channel 3 for updates.