Dr. Laura 'horrified' by mother's death
From Charles Feldman
CNN
BEVERLY HILLS, California (CNN) -- "Dr. Laura" Schlessinger, a well-known radio personality, said Friday she was horrified by the "tragic circumstances" of her mother's death.
Police said a woman's body was found in Schlessinger's mother's apartment earlier in the week. The woman, the apparent victim of a homicide, had been dead for several weeks, said Lt. Gary Gilmond of the Beverly Hills Police Department.
Authorities have not yet positively identified the victim, but Gilmond said Schlessinger had been notified of the situation.
"I am horrified by the tragic circumstances of my mother's death, and so sad to learn that she died as she chose to live -- alone and isolated," Schlessinger said in a statement about her mother, Yolanda Schlessinger. "My mother shut all her family out of her life over the years, though we made several futile attempts to stay connected. May God rest her soul."
Gilmond said a positive identification of the body is expected sometime next week. The process is being slowed by the condition of the body, he said.
Police said the body was discovered Monday after authorities received a call from a neighbor who was concerned the woman hadn't been seen for several weeks.
The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office determined during the course of an autopsy Wednesday the death was not from natural causes. Police would not discuss how she died.
I am horrified by the tragic circumstances of my mother's death.
