Police say a woman died after a stabbing Wednesday night, and her boyfriend was arrested Thursday after an overnight search.
SYLMAR, Calif. — Los Angeles police arrested a man Thursday after an overnight search in Sylmar following the fatal stabbing of a 35-year-old woman at a home near Beaver Street and Dronfield Avenue, authorities said.
The case quickly grew from a late-night assault call into a homicide investigation that spread across a large part of the neighborhood by sunrise. Officers said the suspect ran from the scene after the attack, forcing a search that lasted into Thursday morning and drew in patrol officers, homicide investigators and school officials. By the end of the search, police said the woman was dead, the suspect was in custody and detectives were beginning the work of sorting out what led to the killing.
Police said officers were sent to the 13800 block of Beaver Street at about 9:20 p.m. Wednesday after a report of a stabbing. When they arrived, they found the woman with stab wounds and called for medical help. Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics took her to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead a short time later. Officers soon identified the suspected attacker as the victim’s boyfriend, Sergio Jimenez, and said he had fled on foot before police arrived. The search stretched through the night and into early Thursday, with officers focusing on blocks several miles from the original scene as they tried to track him down.
By about 5 a.m. Thursday, police had set up a perimeter near Hubbard Street and Eighth Street, where they believed the suspect might be hiding. Officers said they did not believe he was armed at that stage of the search, but they urged residents in the area to remain careful while police moved through nearby streets. Around 10 a.m., police said the suspect was taken into custody. Later reports identified the arrested man as 31-year-old Jimenez. Authorities said he was booked on suspicion of murder, with bail set at $2 million. The victim was identified in later local coverage as Nancy De La Torre, 35. Investigators had not publicly explained what led to the stabbing, and police did not immediately describe any prior calls for service at the address.
The search had effects far beyond the crime scene itself. A police perimeter included the area around Gridley-Montanez Dual Language Academy, prompting Los Angeles Unified School District officials to temporarily move students and staff to nearby Maclay Middle School. In a statement, the district said the relocation was made out of caution while officers continued their search nearby. Parents arriving in the morning saw a heavy police presence, closed-off streets and officers walking through the neighborhood. One parent told local television crews the scene felt chaotic, with police and ambulances crowding the area. School officials later said normal operations would resume after the arrest, but the disruption showed how quickly a single act of violence can spread across a community.
The case now shifts from the street search to the court system. Detectives are expected to keep gathering witness statements, physical evidence and any records tied to the relationship between the victim and suspect. Police have described the killing as an incident of domestic violence involving a couple who lived together. That classification may shape how prosecutors present the case if charges move forward. Authorities had not announced a court appearance time in the earliest reports, and they had not released a fuller account of the moments before the stabbing. Those missing details are likely to become central as investigators try to build a timeline of what happened inside the home Wednesday night.
Even after the arrest, the story left visible marks on the neighborhood. Yellow tape, patrol cars and clusters of officers stood out in a residential area better known for school drop-offs and freeway traffic than a homicide manhunt. Residents woke up to blocked streets and a sense that the violence had landed close to home. The comments heard outside the campus and around the apartment area were brief but direct, reflecting shock more than anger. As detectives continued their work Thursday, the public picture remained simple and grim: a woman was dead, a suspect was in custody, and a Sylmar neighborhood was left to absorb what had happened overnight.
The investigation remained active Thursday, with police expected to continue interviews and present the case for filing review. The next major step is an expected court process following the arrest and booking.
Author note: Last updated April 10, 2026.