Police are now searching for “person of interest” seen running from the fire, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck told the Times.
Court records obtained by NBC Los Angeles show Delvasco was arrested in early June in Westwood and arraigned a month later on charges of possessing ecstasy, LSD, methamphetamine and hallucinogenic mushrooms.
DelVesco was facing drug-related charges at the time of her death, the district attorney’s office said.
Mystery death… Andrea “Andy” DelVesco, 21 (left and right), a senior at UCLA, was found dead in her apartment on Monday following a fire.
Meanwhile, grief counselors were meeting with students as classes started on campus Thursday. She was identified by her sorority as the student found in the burning apartment. DelVesco, who was set to appear in Airport Court this Friday to set a date for a preliminary hearing, had pled not guilty, and was allowed to remain free on her own recognizance.
Andrea Lauren DelVesco’s death is being investigated as a homicide, said Los Angeles Police Det. “The motive is simply this: if she is silenced, she can not testify against anyone else and put them in prison for more serious charges”, Huebl said.
DelVesco’s attorney did not immediately return a request for comment.
Officials said DelVesco’s apartment was equipped with working smoke alarms, and there were no bars on the windows to prevent her from escaping.
Police believe a U.C.L.A. sorority sister’s apartment was torched, and are investigating her death in the fire as a murder.
LAPD distributed fliers in the neighborhood seeking information, including sightings of anyone in the area between 4:30 and 7:05 a.m.
DelVesco was a beloved member of UCLA’s Pi Beta Phi sorority who was facing drug dealing charges when she died, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Investigators were moving furniture and other belongings outside of DelVesco’s apartment while a police officer stood near yellow tape, guarding the crime scene.
“Andy had a contagious spirit and was a fearless giver”, Pi Beta Phi Chapter President Jacquie Medeiros said in a statement.
Her sisters at the sorority described her as “a friend to everyone she met.”But her life had recently taken a disturbing turn. More than anything, Andy wanted us to be ourselves … and most of all to never ever give up”.
“UCLA is a close-knit community, and this tragic event affects us all”, UCLA said in their statement, according to ABC7. Patrick Healy reports for the NBC4 News at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, September 23, 2015.