Two people were found dead inside an oceanfront apartment on the 1900 block of Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica last Saturday morning, and police are investigating the case as a suspected murder‑suicide. Officers discovered a 54‑year‑old man and a 54‑year‑old woman inside the unit, both with apparent gunshot wounds. Santa Monica police said the bodies were in an advanced state of decomposition and that a firearm was recovered from the residence.
Police Response and What Officers Found
Officers with the Santa Monica Police Department showed up around 7:15 a.m. for a welfare check after a family member reported being unable to reach the pair, according to Santa Monica Mirror. With help from building management, officers entered the apartment after getting no response at the door and then found the two bodies inside, the Mirror reported. Detectives from the department's Criminal Investigations Division have taken over the case.
Investigators Treating It as a Murder‑Suicide
Based on early findings, detectives believe the deaths resulted from a murder‑suicide, and investigators said the two people knew each other and that no additional suspects are being sought, according to Surf Santa Monica. Police described the incident as isolated and said there is no ongoing threat to the public. The identities of the deceased are being withheld until the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner confirms their names and notifies next of kin.
Where This Fits in Recent Local Cases
If formally classified as the city's second homicide of 2026, the case would follow a January incident in which a woman was charged with murder after her 17‑month‑old daughter was found fatally injured, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said. That earlier case, announced on Jan. 8, remains under prosecution and was widely covered by local media. The pair of unrelated cases has put a fresh spotlight on Santa Monica police investigations this winter.
How to Help Investigators
Anyone with information related to the Ocean Avenue case is asked to contact Detective Esteban Hernandez at [email protected] or call the Santa Monica Police Department Watch Commander at 310-458-8427, according to Surf Santa Monica. Police are urging anyone who might know something to reach out to the Criminal Investigations Division. No additional details have been released as detectives continue their work.
