Scott Regis was 43 years old when he was stabbed to death on Wednesday, March 14, 2012, in Norwalk, in southeast Los Angeles County. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died of stab wounds after being attacked in the 10000 block of Van Ruitten Street. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Bureau case.
The coroner's records describe him as a white man. What is known about his death comes from a brief account in the Los Angeles Times Homicide Report. Scott was stabbed at about 3 p.m., said Ed Winter, then a spokesman for the coroner's office. He was taken to a hospital, where he died less than 10 hours later. Winter had no other information about the case.
That short account leaves almost every question open.
Unlike many killings that happen late at night, this attack took place in the middle of a weekday afternoon, on a city street, at a time when neighbors, delivery drivers and passersby might have been around. That suggests that someone may have seen or heard something, although no witness account has ever been reported. The record does not say whether he was stabbed indoors or outdoors, whether he knew the person who attacked him, or whether there was an argument first.
Scott survived for several hours after he was hurt. The account does not say which hospital treated him, whether he was able to speak to deputies or medical staff, or whether he described what had happened. It also does not say whether investigators ever identified a suspect.
Beyond these details, almost nothing about Scott's life has been made public. No obituary, memorial page or family fundraiser could be found for this story, and no news outlet appears to have followed up on the case. Searches for his name turn up other men named Scott Regis in other states, none of them connected to this death. He surely had family, friends and neighbors who remember who he was, but none of that has entered the public record.
Norwalk is a city of about 100,000 people in southeast Los Angeles County. It is largely made up of modest single-family neighborhoods, apartment buildings and shopping centers, and it is home to Cerritos College. The city contracts with the Sheriff's Department for police services, which is why sheriff's homicide investigators handle killings there.
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 Scott Regis could be found in news archives or public records. More than 13 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who was on or near Van Ruitten Street on the afternoon of March 14, 2012, or who knew Scott and spoke with him in the days before, may hold information that could help detectives. 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 Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500, or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.
