2 bodies found after Zoom call witness reports kidnapping; relative arrested

ALTADENA, Calif. (TCD) --

A person on a Zoom work call dialed 911 to report a kidnapping in progress Monday, leading to the discovery of two dead bodies and a double-murder arrest in the Los Angeles area.

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of possible kidnapping in progress on the 3100 block N. Marengo Ave. about 2:45 p.m. Monday.

Deputies found a dead man who had been stabbed “several times” lying on the driveway of the residence according to the department. Inside the residence, deputies found a dead woman.

The woman had been on a Zoom call with a colleague, according to the sheriff’s department, when the male victim was attacked. The colleague on the Zoom call witnessed the attack on both victims, detectives said. The colleague called 911.

Sheriff’s investigators said a vehicle was missing from the home. While they were investigating, a man arrived at the residence driving on the of the victim’s vehicles, and told deputies he lived at the residence.

Deputies said Robert Cotton, 32, was detained as a person of interest, and was later booked on two counts of murder.

The Los Angeles Times reports the victims, who were both in their 60s, were stabbed to death. The victims were not a couple, according to the Times. A knife was recovered at the scene.

“Neighbors told KTLA at the scene that the alleged suspect is related to the two victims.”

Pasadena Now reports Cotton lived at the home with his mother and his uncle, according to Lt. Barry Hall of the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau.

Detectives found a large hunting-style knife at the scene, believed to have been the murder weapon, Pasadena Now reports.

A possible motive was unclear.

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