Officials say woman found in Palm Springs with gunshot wound to the head was murdered
PALM SPRINGS, Calif., — Police today confirmed that what began a suspicious death investigation has now turned into a murder investigation after a woman’s lifeless body was found inside a parked car in Palm Springs early Monday morning, Oct. 25.
The victim was found with a gunshot wound to her head in the area of Cherokee Way and E. Palm Canyon Drive, according to officials.
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City of Palm Springs police officers were dispatched to the scene just after midnight after receiving reports of gunfire in the area, Palm Springs Police Sergeant Mike Casavan has since reported.
When officers arrived they located a white Fiat parked on S. Cherokee Way, north of E. Palm Canyon Drive, where a deceased, 38-year-old woman was found sitting inside.
Palm Springs police officers are seen continuing to work at the scene of what they now say is a murder investigation. KESQ News Channel 3 photos
Casavan has said a security guard found the victim; adding, “The female suffered an apparent gunshot wound while she was seated in the vehicle.”
A man who told KESQ News Channel 3 he was the victim’s girlfriend was found and questioned at the scene; however, it was not immediately known if he was detained for further questioning.
Officials have not provided any further details regarding their ongoing investigation.
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Anyone with information about this investigation or who witnessed anything that would be relevant to the case is encouraged to immediately contact Palm Springs Police Detective Ben Ryan at (760) 323-8145. Anonymous information can be provided to Crime Stoppers at 760-341-7867.
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Trevor Montgomery, 50, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS).
Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County-based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.
Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)
During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.
Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.
Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.