Latest news with #LucreciaMaciasBarajas
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Loved ones honor mother found dead at L.A. homeless encampment as questions linger
Loved ones held a vigil Friday night to honor the life of a 46-year-old mother who was found dead at a homeless encampment in Los Angeles, as questions remain over her cause of death. Held at the site where the body of Lucrecia Macias Barajas was found, friends and family shared their fondest memories of the U.S. Army veteran and mother of six children. 'She had her whole life ahead of her,' said Amely Becerra, the woman's daughter. 'She was still so young.' Her daughters said Barajas left her home on the Saturday before Mother's Day, and that was the last time they heard from her. After she was missing for several days and family members were unable to reach her, they eventually traced her cell phone signal to an encampment on Huntley Drive in the Westlake District near downtown L.A. Inside a locked tent, they found the bodies of Barajas and her male friend, whose identity was not released. Neighbors said at least one of the bodies had been partially eaten by dogs. Video of the scene showed Barajas' youngest daughter wailing with grief, imploring police to take her mother's body out of the tent. Officers, however, waited because two live dogs, a pit bull mix and a shepherd mix, one of whom reportedly bit into Barajas' body, were still in the tent. Her daughter told the Los Angeles Times that her mother's body wasn't removed from the tent until early the next day, after animal services, who are now holding the dogs as evidence, responded to the scene. Both Barajas' and the male victim's corpses were in the tent with the dogs for at least eight hours after they were found, her family said. Her daughters said they're unsure why their mother went to the encampment that day, but they believe the circumstances surrounding her death are suspicious. Los Angeles police detectives are reportedly investigating the case as a suspected overdose, but her family believes homicide shouldn't be ruled out and that there may be evidence of foul play. One of their issues with the alleged 'overdose investigation' is that the tent in which their mother and the man were found was secured with a lock on the outside of the entrance, presumably suggesting a third party could have bolted it as they left the scene. In addition, a neighbor told The Times that he and his girlfriend were awakened at around 3:30 a.m. that morning by sounds of a man and woman arguing, followed by a woman's screams for help before they heard silence. 'We have a lot of questions,' said Raul Claros, Founder/Director of California Rising. 'First, of what happened when she left the home — the timeline between when she left home and when she showed up [at the encampment].' Born in Nicaragua, Barajas fled with her family in 1986 amid the country's civil war. She later joined the U.S. Army between the late 1990s and early 2000s. Her daughters told The Times that they believe their mother started using methamphetamine in 2017 as a way to manage raising six children, working full-time and battling stage 3 lymphoma. The children were reportedly unaware of their mother's drug use, though they said she eventually became sober. Barajas' loved ones described her as a generous person who often delivered food to those struggling on the streets. 'Lucrecia was a wonderful person and served our country,' said Stephanie Torres, a longtime friend. 'She doesn't deserve to be swept under the rug. No, we're not going to let that happen.' The homeless encampment where Barajas was found has remained a chronic issue for many residents, who say the area attracts criminal activity, drug use and safety hazards. Neighbors said the area has been neglected by city officials and despite repeated complaints, nothing is being done to curb the growing problems. 'The family and the community believe that if these encampments were not here, these two individuals would still be alive,' Claros said. Barajas' daughters said they've spoken with LAPD detectives about the investigation and presented their theories on what they believe might have happened to their mother. 'That's all I want, is justice, and that my mother's memory won't fade,' Becerra said. L.A. city councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, who represents the Westlake District, told The Times in a statement that she has spoken with LAPD and is working to 'ensure the family gets the answers they deserve.' 'I want people to know she wasn't a homeless drug addict, because that's not true,' Becerra said. 'Some people are coming to that conclusion, and that's not fair. She was just at the wrong place at the wrong time.' The cause of death for Barajas and the unidentified man remains under investigation. A GoFundMe page to help her family with funeral expenses can be found here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
A daughter finds her mother dead in an L.A. homeless encampment. Was it an overdose or homicide?
The daughters of a U.S. Army veteran whose body was found in a homeless encampment on the edge of downtown are raising concerns about the Los Angeles Police Department's handling of their mother's case. Lucrecia Macias Barajas, 46, was found dead May 12 by one of her three daughters after she traced her mother's cellphone to a large, tarp-covered shelter in a notorious Westlake cul-de-sac. Another dead body, that of an unidentified man, was also found inside, along with two live dogs, according to officials. Video taken by a resident showed the daughter wailing on the ground after making the tragic discovery and later begging officers to remove her mother's body. Read more: 2 found dead inside tent in Westlake months after fatal fire at same encampment The LAPD has characterized the death as a suspected drug overdose, and told The Times at the time of the incident that it was not investigating the matter as a homicide. But the daughters of the dead woman say the LAPD was too quick to rule out foul play. Among other suspicious circumstances surrounding the death, the daughters say, is that the entrance to the shelter structure was secured from the outside with a lock. Also, they said a person who was in the area hours before the body was found said they heard a woman screaming for help. Hans Salinas, 25, told The Times that he and his girlfriend had fallen asleep in his car in a parking lot not far from the shelter when the sound of a man and woman arguing woke him up around 3:30 a.m. Sunday. 'She was screaming: 'help, help, I need help' he said, "After that it went silent." Salinas said the screaming was coming from the direction of the makeshift tent. He said he didn't intervene because he was afraid he would be attacked. It wasn't until the next day that he and his girlfriend, Josie Vega, 25, who lives in the area, learned of the deaths. 'That poor lady, to find her mother like that,' Vega said. 'And a day after Mother's Day.' LAPD officials said the department plans to look into the family's concerns. In a written statement to The Times, the office of Los Angeles Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, whose district includes Westlake, said that it was in touch with the LAPD to "ensure the family gets the answers they deserve." Barajas' daughters have asked The Times not to be identified, saying they fear for their safety. The daughters showed a reporter a police detective's card with the words 'overdose investigation' written on the back of it. They also said the app they use to track their mother's phone showed she had arrived at the encampment two hours before Salinas heard the screams. The same app tracked their mother's phone to a park three blocks away from the crime scene, hours after the bodies had been removed, they said. The daughters also have accused police of failing to secure the crime scene and allowing evidence to go missing — including security cameras attached to the tent-like structure and the mother's cellphone. The video taken by the resident and obtained by TV news station NBC4 shows someone pulling the cameras down. They also said dogs, a pit bull mix and a shepherd mix, remained inside with the bodies for at least eight hours after her body was found. The daughter who found discovered her mother's body said the dogs had bitten into the corpse, though officials could not confirm this. She said her mom's body was not removed from the makeshift shelter until early the following day, Tuesday, when animal services showed up to take the dogs away. Los Angeles Animal Services said it responded to the location and picked up the two dogs, which are being held for evidence. They referred any further questions to police detectives investigating the case. Read more: L.A. landlord stops blasting 'Baby Shark' tune to drive off homeless following complaints The homeless encampment where the bodies were found was near the end of Huntley Drive, a cul-de-sac at the top of a hill, less than 500 feet from Miguel Contreras Learning Complex and across from the administrative offices of the Los Angeles Unified School District. Residents in the area said the man who lived in the shelter had been staying in the neighborhood for more than three years and operated what they say was a "drive-thru" drug business. They said complaints were filed with the LAPD about the man and his makeshift home but nothing was done. At least two signs on the street show the area is designated as a 41.18 special enforcement zone — which prohibits people from camping in the area. Residents said despite the signs, which were placed there in July 2022, the man continued to remain in the area and sell drugs freely with little consequence from police or the city. The Los Angeles County medical examiner has not identified the man and said autopsies for the two decedents are not being released yet. On a recent afternoon, not far from where people had placed candles and flowers as a memorial to Barajas, a homeless man who declined to give his name said he knew the dead man as 'Pablo' and that a woman who died in an RV fire on the same street in January was his girlfriend. The medical examiner identified the woman who died in the RV fire as 23-year-old Angela Castillo. The deaths bring renewed scrutiny to an area of the city that has been mired in gang violence, drug use, homelessness and organized retail theft. City officials said they have made progress in addressing the issues. Reported crime has dropped in recent months with the exception of burglaries and break-ins, according to LAPD's crime statistics. City officials said that although they received reports about encampments around Miguel Contreras Learning Complex, those on Huntley Drive were never brought to their attention by the LAPD or the LAUSD. They said the tent where the two bodies were found was on private property and hidden from view. Video from various news stations, however, showed the tent was visible from the street. Hernandez, the councilwoman, said in a written statement that the deaths were not only "horrific" but also an "unacceptable tragedy." "Our office is working in close coordination with City departments, outreach teams, and trusted community partners to ensure that those impacted receive trauma-informed, culturally competent support," she wrote. "This devastating loss underscores why we need real investments in harm reduction, housing-first policies, and wraparound services that center dignity, public health, and long-term stability." In Rampart Village this week, two miles west of Huntley Drive, Barajas' daughters stood beside each other, leaning against a beige wall of an apartment complex. The oldest of the three, wearing bracelets and rings on all fingers, held a framed photo of her mother dressed in an Army uniform. The daughters said their mother was born in Nicaragua and fled the country's civil war in 1986 with her two brothers and parents. The daughters said their mother was a person who cared deeply for others, often putting family and friends before herself. They said she served in the Army sometime in the late 90s or early 2000s, following in the footsteps of her father, who served in the military in Nicaragua. They believe their mother began using methamphetamine around 2017. It wasn't until years after that, however, that the daughters learned that their mother used the drug to keep up her energy as she was battling stage 3 lymphoma while working and taking care of them and their three brothers. 'She never told us anything,' the eldest daughter said. 'She kept that part quiet.' 'When I would catch her sleeping a lot she would say, 'I'm sick' or 'it's because I worked a lot',' one of the younger daughters said. 'She was always worried about not hurting us rather than telling us the truth.' The daughters say this was also around the time that their mother ended up on the street and became addicted to meth. In a 2020 video interview with Invisible People, a nonprofit that aims to tell the stories of unhoused people, Barajas said she lost her job and house and moved in with her parents. She had to leave the home however, because the landlord said there were too many people living there. She said she left her children with her parents. Barajas later became sober, she said in the video, and moved back in with family, but was still helping homeless people who had been by her side during tough times. What led her to the makeshift shelter that Sunday in Westlake is a question the daughters are still trying to answer, but they believe what happened there was more than just a drug overdose. In the meantime, the family continues to raise money for funeral expenses on GoFundMe, and are calling on the city to do more for its homeless population and end encampments. 'Nothing we do is going to bring her back but we don't want another girl crying because her mom passed away in one of those places,' said one of the youngest daughters. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
27-05-2025
- Los Angeles Times
A daughter finds her mother dead in an L.A. homeless encampment. Was it an overdose or homicide?
The daughters of a U.S. Army veteran whose body was found in a homeless encampment on the edge of downtown are raising concerns about the Los Angeles Police Department's handling of their mother's case. Lucrecia Macias Barajas, 46, was found dead May 12 by one of her three daughters after she traced her mother's cellphone to a large, tarp-covered shelter in a notorious Westlake cul-de-sac. Another dead body, that of an unidentified man, was also found inside, along with two live dogs, according to officials. Video taken by a resident showed the daughter wailing on the ground after making the tragic discovery and later begging officers to remove her mother's body. The LAPD has characterized the death as a suspected drug overdose, and told The Times at the time of the incident that it was not investigating the matter as a homicide. But the daughters of the dead woman say the LAPD was too quick to rule out foul play. Among other suspicious circumstances surrounding the death, the daughters say, is that the entrance to the shelter structure was secured from the outside with a lock. Also, they said a person who was in the area hours before the body was found said they heard a woman screaming for help. Hans Salinas, 25, told The Times that he and his girlfriend had fallen asleep in his car in a parking lot not far from the shelter when the sound of a man and woman arguing woke him up around 3:30 a.m. Sunday. 'She was screaming: 'help, help, I need help' he said, 'After that it went silent.' Salinas said the screaming was coming from the direction of the makeshift tent. He said he didn't intervene because he was afraid he would be attacked. It wasn't until the next day that he and his girlfriend, Josie Vega, 25, who lives in the area, learned of the deaths. 'That poor lady, to find her mother like that,' Vega said. 'And a day after Mother's Day.' LAPD officials said the department plans to look into the family's concerns. In a written statement to The Times, the office of Los Angeles Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, whose district includes Westlake, said that it was in touch with the LAPD to 'ensure the family gets the answers they deserve.' Barajas' daughters have asked The Times not to be identified, saying they fear for their safety. The daughters showed a reporter a police detective's card with the words 'overdose investigation' written on the back of it. They also said the app they use to track their mother's phone showed she had arrived at the encampment two hours before Salinas heard the screams. The same app tracked their mother's phone to a park three blocks away from the crime scene, hours after the bodies had been removed, they said. The daughters also have accused police of failing to secure the crime scene and allowing evidence to go missing — including security cameras attached to the tent-like structure and the mother's cellphone. The video taken by the resident and obtained by TV news station NBC4 shows someone pulling the cameras down. They also said dogs, a pit bull mix and a shepherd mix, remained inside with the bodies for at least eight hours after her body was found. The daughter who found discovered her mother's body said the dogs had bitten into the corpse, though officials could not confirm this. She said her mom's body was not removed from the makeshift shelter until early the following day, Tuesday, when animal services showed up to take the dogs away. Los Angeles Animal Services said it responded to the location and picked up the two dogs, which are being held for evidence. They referred any further questions to police detectives investigating the case. The homeless encampment where the bodies were found was near the end of Huntley Drive, a cul-de-sac at the top of a hill, less than 500 feet from Miguel Contreras Learning Complex and across from the administrative offices of the Los Angeles Unified School District. Residents in the area said the man who lived in the shelter had been staying in the neighborhood for more than three years and operated what they say was a 'drive-thru' drug business. They said complaints were filed with the LAPD about the man and his makeshift home but nothing was done. At least two signs on the street show the area is designated as a 41.18 special enforcement zone — which prohibits people from camping in the area. Residents said despite the signs, which were placed there in July 2022, the man continued to remain in the area and sell drugs freely with little consequence from police or the city. The Los Angeles County medical examiner has not identified the man and said autopsies for the two decedents are not being released yet. On a recent afternoon, not far from where people had placed candles and flowers as a memorial to Barajas, a homeless man who declined to give his name said he knew the dead man as 'Pablo' and that a woman who died in an RV fire on the same street in January was his girlfriend. The medical examiner identified the woman who died in the RV fire as 23-year-old Angela Castillo. The deaths bring renewed scrutiny to an area of the city that has been mired in gang violence, drug use, homelessness and organized retail theft. City officials said they have made progress in addressing the issues. Reported crime has dropped in recent months with the exception of burglaries and break-ins, according to LAPD's crime statistics. City officials said that although they received reports about encampments around Miguel Contreras Learning Complex, those on Huntley Drive were never brought to their attention by the LAPD or the LAUSD. They said the tent where the two bodies were found was on private property and hidden from view. Video from various news stations, however, showed the tent was visible from the street. Hernandez, the councilwoman, said in a written statement that the deaths were not only 'horrific' but also an 'unacceptable tragedy.' 'Our office is working in close coordination with City departments, outreach teams, and trusted community partners to ensure that those impacted receive trauma-informed, culturally competent support,' she wrote. 'This devastating loss underscores why we need real investments in harm reduction, housing-first policies, and wraparound services that center dignity, public health, and long-term stability.' In Rampart Village this week, two miles west of Huntley Drive, Barajas' daughters stood beside each other, leaning against a beige wall of an apartment complex. The oldest of the three, wearing bracelets and rings on all fingers, held a framed photo of her mother dressed in an Army uniform. The daughters said their mother was born in Nicaragua and fled the country's civil war in 1986 with her two brothers and parents. The daughters said their mother was a person who cared deeply for others, often putting family and friends before herself. They said she served in the Army sometime in the late 90s or early 2000s, following in the footsteps of her father, who served in the military in Nicaragua. They believe their mother began using methamphetamine around 2017. It wasn't until years after that, however, that the daughters learned that their mother used the drug to keep up her energy as she was battling stage 3 lymphoma while working and taking care of them and their three brothers. 'She never told us anything,' the eldest daughter said. 'She kept that part quiet.' 'When I would catch her sleeping a lot she would say, 'I'm sick' or 'it's because I worked a lot',' one of the younger daughters said. 'She was always worried about not hurting us rather than telling us the truth.' The daughters say this was also around the time that their mother ended up on the street and became addicted to meth. In a 2020 video interview with Invisible People, a nonprofit that aims to tell the stories of unhoused people, Barajas said she lost her job and house and moved in with her parents. She had to leave the home however, because the landlord said there were too many people living there. She said she left her children with her parents. Barajas later became sober, she said in the video, and moved back in with family, but was still helping homeless people who had been by her side during tough times. What led her to the makeshift shelter that Sunday in Westlake is a question the daughters are still trying to answer, but they believe what happened there was more than just a drug overdose. In the meantime, the family continues to raise money for funeral expenses on GoFundMe, and are calling on the city to do more for its homeless population and end encampments. 'Nothing we do is going to bring her back but we don't want another girl crying because her mom passed away in one of those places,' said one of the youngest daughters.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Yahoo
Family devastated after missing mother found dead at L.A. homeless encampment
Family members are devastated after a missing woman was one of two people who were found dead at a homeless encampment in the Westlake district of Los Angeles. On May 12, Lucrecia Macias Barajas, 46, was found dead inside a sidewalk tent that had reportedly been locked from the inside. The body of her male friend, whose identity was not released by the L.A. County Medical Examiner's office, was also found at the scene. Neighbors said at least one of the bodies had been partially eaten by dogs. The grisly discovery was found at an encampment along Huntley Circle near downtown L.A. After Barajas had been missing for several days and family members had been unable to reach her, they eventually traced her cell phone signal to the tent where her body was found. Video of the scene showed one of her daughters wailing with grief outside the tent. 'My sister, she called to tell us that she found our mom dead,' said Amely Becerra, the victim's daughter. 'It devastated us. We didn't understand how it happened.' Her daughters said she was an Army veteran and a loving mother of six children with whom they had just spent time over the weekend. 'I want people to know she wasn't a homeless drug addict, because that's not true,' Becerra said. 'Some people are coming to that conclusion and that's not fair. She was just at the wrong place at the wrong time.' A resident who lives near the encampment said they were distraught to learn of the bodies being found. 'When I heard her harrowing screams, it shook us all to our core,' the resident, who did not wish to be identified, told KTLA. 'We all just started shaking because we absolutely knew someone was dead outside.' The homeless encampment has remained a chronic issue for many nearby residents, who say the area attracts criminal activity, drug use, safety hazards and even unruly animals. One neighbor said that his dogs were attacked by animals living in the encampment. When he tried reporting it, he claims the Los Angeles Police Department told him there was nothing they could do about it. 'This place has been a danger zone,' the man said. 'People don't feel safe, and nothing is ever done to clear it for good.' Neighbors said the area has been neglected by city officials and despite repeated complaints, nothing is being done to curb the growing problems. 'The neighbors complained about the dogs that were in this situation, the encampments,' said Raul Claros, founder of California Rising. 'The city did nothing and we feel that these two individuals would still be alive if those encampments weren't there.' Another resident said that power had been illegally hooked up at the encampment for months and that despite a fatal RV fire in January, the site continues to be occupied. L.A. Mayor Karen Bass sent KTLA a statement on the incident, saying, 'This case reinforces our urgent need to address this grave humanitarian crisis. We will continue collaborating with the council office to bring more Angelenos inside and do all that we can to improve public safety.' The cause of death for Barajas and the unidentified man remains under investigation. A GoFundMe page to help Barajas' family with funeral expenses can be found here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Yahoo
2 found dead inside tent in Westlake months after fatal fire at same encampment
A man and a woman were found dead inside a tent in Westlake on Monday, months after another person died in an RV fire at the same encampment, authorities said. The Los Angeles Police Department responded to the 1200 block of Huntley Drive — near the 110 Freeway and Downtown Los Angeles — around 7:20 p.m. and found two bodies, according to a department spokesperson. The L.A. County medical examiner's office is working to determine how they died. Police are not investigating the deaths as homicides, the spokesperson said. The woman was identified as 46-year-old Lucrecia Macias Barajas, according to a spokesperson for the medical examiner. The man was in his 30s, and his identity is being withheld until authorities can reach his family, the spokesperson said. KTLA News reported that Barajas' family members found her body after they were unable to reach her for several days and tore open her tent, which was locked from the inside. ABC7 News captured video of Animal Services picking up Barajas' dogs from the encampment Monday night. A spokesperson for Animal Services said the department responded to a request from the LAPD to retrieve two dogs from the encampment — a pit-bull mix and a shepherd mix — and took them to North Central Animal Shelter. A man living nearby told KTLA that his dogs had been attacked by dogs living in the encampment, which he said has caused persistent problems in the neighborhood. 'This place has been a danger zone,' the man told the outlet. 'People don't feel safe, and nothing is ever done to clear it for good.' Read more: 24 fires a day: Surge in flames at L.A. homeless encampments a growing crisis On Jan. 7, a person was found dead inside a burned vehicle at the encampment. A second person, a 38-year-old man, was taken to a hospital in the incident, Los Angeles Fire Department Spokesperson Margaret Stewart said. The death rate among people experiencing homelessness in L.A. County increased by 55% between 2019 and 2021, an uptick public health officials have attributed to a surge in fentanyl overdoses. In 2023, 2,508 people experiencing homelessness died in L.A. — which is equivalent to 6.9 deaths a day. Drug and alcohol overdoses were the leading cause of death, accounting for 45% of all fatalities. Encampment fires are also a contributor to deaths among people living on the streets or in vehicles. From 2018 to 2020, the number of fires related to homelessness nearly tripled, accounting for roughly 38% of all fires the department responded to in that time frame, according to a Times analysis. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
