Mauro Ake was 38 years old when he died on Tuesday, January 11, 2022, in Inglewood. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died after being stabbed near 10721 S. Prairie Ave. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as an Inglewood Police Department case.
The Los Angeles Times Homicide Report recorded his death in a single sentence drawn from coroner's records. It described him as "a 38-year-old Latino male" who "died Tuesday, Jan. 11, after being stabbed near 10721 S. Prairie Ave. in Inglewood." The entry gave an address on one of the city's main streets, but it did not say whether that was where he lived, where he worked or simply where he was found. No follow-up story appears to have been written, and no police statement about the case could be found.
Beyond his name, his age and the place where he died, almost nothing about Mauro Ake has been made public.
No obituary, memorial page or family fundraiser could be found for this story, and no news outlet appears to have reported on the death. He surely had family, friends or neighbors who remember who he was, but none of that has entered the public record. His name is uncommon in the United States, and searches for it turned up no news coverage, social media tribute or court record that could be tied to him or to his death.
Because so little has been released, even the basic circumstances remain unknown to the public. The record does not say whether he was stabbed during a fight or a robbery, attacked by a stranger or by someone he knew, or hurt indoors or on the street. It does not say what time of day he was hurt, whether he died at the scene or later at a hospital, whether anyone saw what happened, or whether investigators ever identified a suspect.
Inglewood is a city of about 100,000 people in the southwestern part of Los Angeles County, next to the city of Los Angeles and a short drive from Los Angeles International Airport. For decades it was best known as the home of the Forum, the arena where the Lakers once played, and in recent years it has drawn new attention as the site of SoFi Stadium, which opened in 2020. Prairie Avenue is one of the city's main north-south streets, passing through a mix of homes, apartment buildings, shops and larger commercial properties. In January 2022 the city was in the middle of a long period of construction and change around its new sports and entertainment venues, while many of its longtime neighborhoods remained much as they had been for years.
Hundreds of people are killed in Los Angeles County every year, and a large share of those killings end without an arrest.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Mauro Ake could be found in news archives or public records. More than three years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who knew a 38-year-old man named Mauro Ake, or who was on or near the 10700 block of South Prairie Avenue in Inglewood in January 2022, may hold information that could help. Even a small detail, such as a name overheard, a vehicle seen nearby or a conversation remembered, can help detectives move a case forward. Anyone with information can contact the Inglewood Police Department, or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.
