On April 14, 2001, 23-year-old Maria Del-Pillar Mendez was found dead inside a converted garage in the 1400 block of Federal Avenue in the Sawtelle area of West Los Angeles; the victim appeared to have died by strangulation. The coroner's record and contemporaneous police notices list her age as 23 and cause of death as strangulation, and place of death at 1461 Federal Ave. She was reported last seen alive that same day at approximately noon and discovered by the landlord at about 5:30 p.m.
Maria Del-Pillar Mendez is described in official records as a Hispanic/Latina female, 23 years old. West Los Angeles homicide detectives handled the investigation and quickly identified an estranged husband, Marcos Aurelio Diaz, as someone they wanted to interview in connection with the death; police said the residence where the victim was found belonged to Mr. Diaz and released a description asking for his cooperation. The LAPD press release named Detective Ron Philips as the investigative contact and urged anyone with information to call the West Los Angeles division.
Investigators circulated a public request for help, and the Los Angeles Police Department prepared media notices seeking tips. Available official press material from April 2001 documents these investigative steps but does not report an arrest, charge, or later resolution. As of the most recent contemporaneous records reviewed, the case remains unsolved with no reported arrests or convictions. Anyone with information was asked to contact Detective Ron Philips at the West Los Angeles station at 310-575-8408.
