A woman found dead inside a burned-out car in Tulare on Feb. 15 was an Angeleno, KTLA sister station KSEE/KGPE reports.
The Tulare Police Department said they responded to Bardsley Avenue near Laspina Street around 2 a.m. for reports of a crash, but when crews arrived, they found a car on fire,
Investigators say the woman found dead inside the trunk of the burning car was 58-year-old Patrice Michelle Armstrong.
On Feb. 21, officers from the Tulare Police Department traveled to Los Angeles and served a search warrant at Armstrong’s home where detectives say they located what appeared to be a crime scene. Detectives were able to determine that the homicide within Los Angeles Police Department’s jurisdiction, which took over the investigation.
According to the Tulare Police Department, the suspect, 44-year-old Branden Bayilynn Howard of Tulare, was detained during a traffic stop on Feb. 15 and arrested on suspicion of homicide.
Detectives are still waiting on the official autopsy report for the cause of death.