A suspect was in custody Friday on suspicion of murder stemming from the death of a prominent banking executive inside her Reseda home.
The executive, 48-year-old Michelle Avan, was found dead around 7 a.m. Thursday inside her home in the 19300 block of Covello Street, near Tampa Avenue and Saticoy Street, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Officers were called to the scene by a relative who was unable to reach Avan. A cause of death has not been released, although homicide detectives reported that Avan “appeared to have suffered trauma to her face.”
Avan was senior vice president with Bank of America, working to recruit women and under-represented employees globally. She was profiled by Essence magazine in 2017.
The LAPD confirmed Friday that 52-year-old Anthony Duwayne Turner was arrested near the 8800 block of Airlane Avenue in the Westchester area at about 3:35 p.m. Thursday on suspicion of the murder. He was being held on $2 million bail.
Law enforcement sources told NBC4 that Turner had a personal relationship with Avan and she had recently considered obtaining a restraining order against him.
Avan was a mother of two and grandmother of one.
Danny Bakewell Sr., executive publisher of the Los Angeles Sentinel, called her death “just devastating.”
“Michelle was a dear friend and dedicated warrior for our community and a dear friend to me and my entire family,” Bakewell said in a Sentinel report on her death.