As more than 75 people gathered Tuesday night to mourn a mother and a daughter discovered dead Tuesday morning, police searched for a person of interest in connection with the double homicide in an apartment in the 1900 block of Rockefeller Lane in North Redondo Beach, police said.
Officers from the identified the person of interest as Jonathan Scott Chacon, 23, who police believe was the boyfriend of one of the victims.
An off-duty police officer spotted Chacon headed northbound on Interstate 5 at Alicia Parkway near Mission Viejo at about 7:15 p.m., police said. The officer followed him, then lost him.
Police believe Chacon is driving a dark colored 1996 Ford Mustang convertible with license plate 6CQF458. The convertible has a damaged rear bumper and trunk area, as well as damage to the convertible top on both the driver and front passenger's sides.
In a handout, police described Chacon as a Hispanic male standing about 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing about 160 pounds with black hair and black eyes. He has three tattoos: a grim reaper and a nautical star on his right upper arm, the word "death" on his left forearm and the word "distraught" on his chest.
Anyone who sees Chacon should contact police immediately, as officers consider him "armed and dangerous," Sgt. Fabian Saucedo told the Los Angeles Times.
The identities of the two adult female victims—who neighbors say are a mother and her 19-year-old daughter—are being withheld pending notification of the next of kin.
"Every effort has been made to contact the next of kin to no avail," Saucedo told the Easy Reader on Tuesday evening.
Nevertheless, according to the Daily Breeze, a Vicki Bergman lives at the address on Rockefeller Lane where the slayings occurred. Friends of Courtney Bergman, her daughter, were tweeting "rest in peace" on Tuesday afternoon. Bergman is a senior at , City News Service reported.
A co-worker of one of the women called police shortly after 10 a.m. after discovering the bodies, Redondo Beach police Capt. Jeff Hink said. The co-worker had gone over to the apartment to check on one of the women.
"I'm not sure what led to her concern, but the fact remains she was concerned for one of the residents' welfare; so she came to the house," Hink said at a news conference Tuesday near the crime scene. He later added, "I don't know if it's because the person didn't show up for work or what."
Hink said he believes this is an isolated incident unrelated to the murder of Peggy Goldberg last week in South Redondo.
Hink said the investigation "is rapidly unfolding."
At one point during the day, officers were processing evidence in the street—possibly blood—in front of the apartment, which is located between Flagler and Green lanes.
"I took a walk this morning—I did see blood on the street, but I didn’t know at that point that it was blood," neighbor Amy Sidrane told CBS Los Angeles. "It's creepy; it's awful; it's scary."
Police have not said how the women died; however, they confirmed that the victims died sometime overnight.
At nightfall, police were still examining the scene, while friends of Courtney Bergman gathered for a candlelight vigil at nearby .
Redondo Beach Police request anyone with more information about the homicides call the police tipline at (310) 937-6685, send a text message to (310) 339-2362 or email crimetips@redondo.org.
—City News Service and contributed to this report.
