A mother of three children was found dead Tuesday morning and her boyfriend was hospitalized after a stabbing in a San Fernando Valley alley, police said.
The 40-year-old woman was found dead in a Van Nuys residential area near Kester Avenue and Lemay Street, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Her boyfriend also suffered what appeared to be stab wounds and was hospitalized in serious, but stable, condition, according to police.
The boyfriend, identified as Oscar Gomez, was a person of interest in the case, police said.
The man told police that three men got out of a black vehicle and assaulted him and his girlfriend while they were in his pickup truck about 4 a.m., authorities said. The man told police he was unconscious and that he found the woman dead after regaining consciousness.
He called 911 nearly four hours after the attack, police said.
"This takes time," said Los Angeles Police Capt. Lillian Carranza. "We have to do a thorough investigation, we can't discount anything and jump to conclusions."
Paramedics said the woman died at the scene, about a block northwest of Van Nuys High School.
The weapon was recovered at the location, police said.
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No arrests were reported early Tuesday, and police said there are no suspects outstanding. Yellow police tape blocked off the alley during the investigation.
"The evidence will speak for itself," Carranza said. "Everything will fall in its place and there's things at a crime scene you can never change."
Neighbor Alvi Barrios said for the past seven years she rented her garage to Gomez. He kept his painting supplies there for work. He didn't live nearby, she said.
"I'm very surprised," Barrios said.
Police indicated earlier that a 4-year-old was involved in the altercation, but later said no child was present.
NBC4's Nyree Arabian contributed to this report.
