Son Kills Mother, Dismembers Body And Throws Remains In Dumpster Near Their Apartment

Camarillo, California -- A 25-year-old man allegedly killed his mother, dismembered her body, and then threw her remains in a dumpster near their apartment complex in Southern California.

David Hoetzlein was arrested Friday night after his mother's body, 62-year-old Tomoko Hoetzlein, was found in the trash can.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office said the mother and son were living together in an apartment in Camarillo before Tomoko’s slaying. Deputies arrived at the scene after receiving a call about “suspicious circumstances,” AP News reported.

“The caller reported possible human remains in a trash enclosure near the 300 block of Townsite Promenade in Camarillo,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

Tomoko’s body was found Friday morning in the trash bin near their apartment.

Investigators searched the area and spoke to neighbors before getting a search warrant for Hoetzlein’s residence. Deputies found the son alone inside the apartment Friday night and arrested him.

“David was arrested on suspicion of killing his mother, Tomoko Hoetzlein. David dismembered Tomoko’s body before dumping her remains in an apartment complex dumpster, adjacent to the apartment where David and Tomoko resided together,” the sheriff’s office said in an update.

The motive behind the woman’s alleged murder was not revealed. The sheriff’s office said they found evidence that connected Hoetzlein to his mother’s murder but did not reveal details.

“He lived here in the apartment complex, then barricaded himself into the apartment all day. They were able to get him out at about 3:30,” neighbor Kathy Kennedy told KTLA 5 News.

Travis Alvidrez, who lives below Hoetzlein, called it “kind of crazy" after the body was found.

“We see him all the time, see his mom,” Alvidrez told the outlet.

Hoetzlein is being held on a $3 million bail and is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday.

An unrelated incident reported in 2020 involved a Michigan man allegedly shooting his mother to death and gulping down the shell in an attempt to destroy evidence. Sheletha Furleases Graves, 51, had a gunshot wound to her head and was found lying dead on the living room couch. The victim’s son, Chavez Lawon Wyatt, was identified as a suspect and arrested. After the shell casing passed through his digestive system, Wyatt handed it over to a Genesee County Jail guard a couple of days after the murder.