Woman Found Fatally Stabbed

SHERMAN OAKS — The body of a 33-year-old woman who had been stabbed to death was found in her apartment Wednesday night after a concerned relative asked police to check on her.

Los Angeles police officers who went to the apartment in the 4900 block of Van Nuys Boulevard found the body of Eva Traschel-Gooch on the floor. Her apartment door was ajar, and she had been stabbed several times, according to Det. Dan O’Hanian, a homicide investigator at the Van Nuys station.

Police suspect she was killed Tuesday. Neighbors last saw her walking her dogs outside the apartment building.

Traschel-Gooch’s sister called the victim’s home Wednesday, grew worried when no one answered the telephone, and asked the apartment manager to check on her, O’Hanian said. The manager went to the apartment, saw the door was ajar, but did not go inside. He called the sister back and told her Traschel-Gooch did not come to the door when called.

Traschel-Gooch was a bartender with many friends, O’Hanian said. When police arrived at her home, she had 30 calls on her answering machine.

“Her connections are endless,” he said. “We’re just going to go through her address book and try to find out who her friends and enemies are.”

Police have not named any suspects.