Woman found dead in Lakewood apartment near popular diner is ID’d

A woman who was killed and found dead in a Lakewood apartment has been identified.

Margaret Mae Rion, 57, was found dead inside a two-story apartment building nestled behind the Heritage Family Pantry, a popular local diner, near Paramount Boulevard and Carson Street.

Deputies had gone to the apartment in the 4100 block of Maybank Avenue on Tuesday to respond to a report of a woman shot to death. Rion’s body was found by a relative with “trauma to the upper torso,” according to a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department statement. Officials would not elaborate on the injuries.

“We won’t know more until we do a more thorough investigation,” Lt. Steve Jauch told The Times Tuesday. “It’s going to be a long night.”

Residents described the neighborhood as safe and said they were surprised to hear sirens as deputies and firefighters responded to the scene.

“This is a quiet neighborhood,” said Mike Ellis, 42, who lives in the apartment building next door. He said the area has experienced some minor break-ins “but nothing that would lead to all of this.”

“I came out to have a smoke like I usually do,” he said, “and I saw all these cop cars.”

Kenny Battle, 29, who has lived in the neighborhood for three years, said he heard the sirens.

“Stuff like this don’t happen around here,” Battle said. “It’s scary.”

Since January 2007, at least five homicides have been reported in Lakewood, according to The Times Homicide Report.