On September 15, 2024, at about 5:43 a.m., deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department found 40-year-old Irene Gonzalez lying face down on a sidewalk on the 12500 block of Oak Street in Lynwood with a gunshot wound to her upper torso. Paramedics pronounced her dead at 5:55 a.m. The scene report states she had been soliciting services as a sex worker earlier that morning and entered the front passenger seat of an older model black Toyota Corolla with tinted windows and a sunroof.

According to investigators, Gonzalez was shot as she was exiting the vehicle, attempted to flee southbound, and collapsed behind a parked car. The suspect vehicle was last seen parked in front of 12514 Oak Street. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a $20,000 reward for information leading to identification, arrest, and conviction of the person or persons responsible. Authorities ask anyone with information to contact the LASD Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500 or Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

Gonzalez is survived by an adult autistic son and a juvenile son; family and friends remember her as a devoted mother. The investigation remains active; if anyone knew Irene or saw the vehicle that morning, please come forward with information.