Deputies in Dana Point were called to a home near Breakers Isle and Niguel Shores Drive on Tuesday morning after several people went to check on a friend and found him dead inside. The man, described only as white and in his 70s, had been shot several days before he was discovered, investigators said. Hundreds of miles north in San Francisco, police soon located his missing car — with a 32-year-old man sitting alone inside.
Deputies Responded to a Welfare Check Gone Wrong
According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, deputies responded to the area at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday after the group discovered their friend’s body, as KTLA reported. Investigators determined the victim had been shot “several days prior” to being found, though the exact date of the shooting was not released. As CBS News Los Angeles also reported, authorities have not identified the victim publicly.
Investigators turned to automated license plate reader technology to track down the victim’s car, which led them to San Francisco. The sheriff’s department worked with San Francisco police to locate the vehicle, and when officers found it, the only person inside was 32-year-old Cordell Dionte Studley, per the same account.
Handgun and Other Evidence Found Inside the Car
Investigators said they recovered several items of evidence inside the vehicle linking Studley to the killing, including a handgun. He was arrested on suspicion of murder, and as of Wednesday was pending transport back to the Orange County Jail, the station’s report notes. The nature of any relationship between Studley and the victim was not known at the time of the arrest, and authorities have released no further details about the case.
A separate report from Audacy describes a 29-year-old named Cordell Dionte Studley who was previously wanted in Santa Monica on suspicion of residential burglary, false imprisonment and assault with intent to commit rape. It is not established whether that case involves the same individual now arrested in the Dana Point killing.
For now, investigators have not disclosed what led to the shooting or how the victim and Studley may have known each other. No additional details have been made available as the investigation continues.
