A San Marino firetruck (File Photo – southcoastfire)
A man has been arrested in connection with the death of his wife, whose body was found inside a burning home in San Marino earlier this year.
By News Desk
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has identified the suspect as 62-year-old Yoon Lai. He was taken into custody on July 3 following a lengthy investigation into the January death of his wife, 56-year-old Irene Gaw-Lai.
On the morning of January 6, firefighters responded to a house fire in the 2000 block of Lorain Road shortly before 10:00 am. After extinguishing the blaze, they discovered Gaw-Lai’s body in a back room of the residence. Authorities reported that she had sustained trauma to her upper body.
At the time, Lai told investigators he had taken the couple’s two sons to baseball practice that morning and returned to find the home on fire. The suspicious nature of the fire and the condition of the victim prompted officials to launch a homicide investigation, which spanned several months.
Gaw-Lai was a physician specializing in endocrinology, according to the Medical Board of California. Neighbors in the typically quiet community expressed shock at the incident.
Authorities have not disclosed a possible motive. Lai is currently being held without bail. The case is expected to be presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Anyone with information related to the case is urged to contact the LASD Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500. Anonymous tips may be submitted through L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or online at lacrimestoppers.org.
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