On Sept. 29, 2017, the body of 36-year-old Yizhu Mu was found in a room at the Excelsior Hotel in the 16900 block of Pioneer Boulevard in Artesia. A hotel maid discovered her about 10:50 a.m.; she was pronounced dead at the scene at 11 a.m. Early reports and statements from investigators indicated Mu had been strangled, though officials placed a security hold on autopsy results while the investigation remained active. Investigators described the death as a homicide and said the signs of trauma showed it was not a natural death.
Mu was identified as a 36-year-old Asian woman with a listed San Gabriel address who had been staying at the Artesia hotel for at least a week before she was found. Lieutenant Derrick Alfred of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said Mu had traumatic injuries and bruising to her upper body; he declined to provide further public details about whether she was clothed or whether there were signs of sexual assault. Family for Mu were reported to live in San Gabriel and in Yunnan, China.
The homicide was investigated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Bureau out of the Lakewood station that provides law enforcement services to Artesia. At the time of the report there were no public announcements of arrests, charges or an identified suspect; the case remained under investigation. Anyone with information was asked to contact the sheriff's Homicide Bureau at 890-5500 or Crime Stoppers at 222-8477. As of the available reporting, the case is unsolved with no arrests or charges disclosed.
