On Dec. 5, 2018, 41-year-old Cecilia Meza was found dead in her upstairs apartment in the 800 block of West Colorado Boulevard in Monrovia; she was pronounced dead at 1:48 p.m. Coroner and law enforcement reports state Meza was strangled. Her 17-year-old daughter, Kelsey Meza, was discovered dead in the same apartment and was pronounced at 1:50 p.m.; the coroner reported that Kelsey had been strangled and also suffered blunt head trauma.
Cecilia Meza was a Latina mother who lived with her daughter and a live-in boyfriend across the street from Monrovia High School, where Kelsey was a senior. Officers entered the apartment after school officials and family members became concerned when Kelsey missed several days of school. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and Monrovia police responded; investigators reported students and community members gathered at the scene and the school district provided grief counselors.
Sheriff's homicide detectives quickly identified Cecilia's live-in boyfriend, 33-year-old Nimrod Perez Guerrero, as a suspect and issued a bulletin saying he should be considered armed and dangerous. Authorities described Guerrero as Hispanic, about 5'8" and 200 pounds, and said he may have been driving a gray 2014 Toyota RAV4 ; detectives asked the public for tips and posted a wanted bulletin. Community vigils were held in the days following the slayings as detectives continued to seek information.
As of the most recent contemporaneous reporting, no arrest or charge in the deaths of Cecilia and Kelsey Meza was reported; the case remained under investigation. Anyone with information was asked to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Homicide Bureau at 890-5500 or Crime Stoppers at 222-8477.
