School teacher, 27, is found dead and stuffed in the trunk of a burnt out car in Los Angeles: Neighbors say they heard woman screaming before it exploded
- Police are searching for answers after a 'quiet' primary school teacher, 27, was found murdered in a burning car.
- A neighbor heard a 'blood-curdling scream' from the Quartz Hill home in the early hours before the house 'exploded' later that morning
Firefighters called to a house fire in LA opened the garage to find the body of a young teacher stuffed into the trunk of a burned-out car.
Police have opened a murder investigation and are searching for the home's owner following the gruesome discovery in Quartz Hill on Wednesday morning.
The woman has been identified locally as a 27-year-old elementary school teacher in nearby Palmdale, and neighbors on 38th West Street said the horror appeared to begin in the early hours.
“Around 2am I heard a bloodcurdling scream,” said one.
'I had just opened my window after finishing some work and when I went to look I couldn't hear it anymore.'
Firefighters made the gruesome discovery shortly after arriving at the home at 8:20 a.m. Wednesday
A neighbor heard a 'blood-curdling scream' from the Quartz Hill home in the early hours before the house 'exploded' later that morning
The house is registered to Matthew Switalski, 37, a Bible college graduate who works as a cost controller at aerospace company Northrop Grumman.
Neighbors in the 41400 block said he had rented several rooms in the five-bedroom house to company employees, none of whom appeared to be home at the time of the fire.
Witnesses recalled hearing an “explosion” at the house, and firefighters arrived around 8:20 am. It took an hour to get the fire under control.
“While firefighters were clearing the garage, they located a body, notified emergency responders and the individual was pronounced dead at the scene,” said Lt. Daniel Vizcarra of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
A man who said he was the victim's uncle described her as “quiet” and told CBS that the school where she worked called the family when she didn't show up for work yesterday morning.
He said she had been in a relationship for about a year, while neighbors told the station her boyfriend owned the property.
Firefighters used a circular drill to gain access to the car and another badly damaged car was parked next to it.
Rescuers used a circular saw to cut their way into one of the badly damaged cars
The victim was identified as a 27-year-old elementary school teacher in nearby Palmdale
The police are trying to trace both the owner and other housemates of the dead young woman
According to the police, the owner and residents have not yet come forward.
“We're trying to get in touch with all the residents,” Lt. Vizcarra told KTLA 5.
“It's very disturbing to know it's just down the street,” the neighbor said.
Dailymail.com has reached out to the owner and the LA Sheriff's Department for more information.