Ex-Boyfriend Arrested in Slaying of Mother of Two

Suspect was the father of the victim's two children.

Police said Thursday they arrested the ex-boyfriend of a woman who was found dead in her car about two months ago.

Jose Roberto Turner, 45, was arrested around 8:30 a.m. on suspicion of murdering Lajoya McCoy, 31, in June. Turner was McCoy's ex-boyfriend and the father of her two children whom she began dating about 10 years ago, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Investigators visited the woman's apartment in June after she didn't report to work and found signs of a struggle. McCoy's body was discovered June 16 in her car in the 200 block of Cypress Avenue, not far from her apartment. Her body was found one day after she was reported missing.

McCoy worked as an accountant with Los Angeles County and owned a clothing boutique. Friends said her two children, ages 7 and 9, were staying with their father when she went missing.

Officials did not disclose how McCoy was killed, but said Turner was the focus of their investigation after her body was found. Investigators said they spent the past two months building their case against Turner.

The sheriff's department expects to submit their case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office on Friday.

Turner was being held at the sheriff's station in Temple City without bail.

It was not immediately clear if Turner had an attorney.

City News Service contributed to this report.

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