Philip Vannatter, the investigator in the 1994 murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman, died in Southern California on Friday, his brother told the media. Vannatter was 70 years old.

Joe Vannatter told The Associated Press that Philip Vannatter died at a Santa Clarita hospital of complications from cancer. Philip Vannatter, a Los Angeles police detectives, was among the first detectives on the scene at the mansion of former football star O.J. Simpson where Simpson's wife Nicole and her friend, Goldman, were stabbed to death.

According to The AP, Vannatter conducted an investigation in 1977 that led to the arrest of film director Roman Polanski on charges he drugged and had unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl. Vannatter is a 28-year veteran with the LAPD. Vannatter spent most of his career as a homicide detective and he retired from the force in 1995. He continued on as a consultant for cold case murders, according to The AP.

Vannatter is survived by his wife, Rita; their daughter, Donna; their son, Matthew, an LAPD officer; five grandchildren; and his brother. Services are scheduled for Wednesday at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood, according to The AP, and a fund has been set up in Vannatter's name with the Los Angeles Police Memorial Foundation.

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