Los Angeles: The man wanted for the murder of aspiring model Iryna Singerman has been found dead in Tijuana, Mexico.
Brian Joseph Cullen, who has been wanted by the Los Angeles Police Department since Ms. Singerman’s disappearance in July, was found in a Tijuana hotel room Sunday, August 28. The presumed cause of death was a single gunshot to the head. A handgun was found near the body. The preliminary investigation by Tijuana Police indicates that Cullen took his own life.
Officers from the LAPD’s Fugitive Warrant Division Task Force traveled to Tijuana and preliminarily confirmed the body is that of Cullen. A fingerprint comparison is currently underway to positively identify the body.
Iryna Singerman, a West Los Angeles resident, was last seen by a neighbor on Monday, July 25, 2005, around 7:00 p.m, in front of her home. Her husband, Ronald Singerman, reported that she did not come home that night. Calls to her cell phone went unanswered.
On Tuesday, July 26, 2005, at around 11:15 a.m., witnesses observed a man drive his gray 4-door 2005 Ford Focus to a dumpster in a parking lot at 6030 Canoga Avenue of Woodland Hills. The witnesses saw the man acting suspiciously and removing two trash bags from his car. He placed the bags in a dumpster. The man returned to his vehicle and drove away. Witnesses went to the dumpster, peered into the bags, and saw blood-soaked contents. Detectives found bags containing blood-stained towels, a baseball bat and documents in the name of Iryna Singerman.
Ms. Singerman’s vehicle, a 2005 Toyota, was found parked in a residential area of Woodland Hills within a mile of the dumpster. Detectives determined that Ms. Singerman was known to frequent a residence in the 5000 block of Medina Road in Woodland Hills. Detectives went to that location and discovered Ms. Singerman’s second vehicle, a 2005 Mecerdez Benz, parked in the driveway. The following day, investigators requested the public’s assistance in locating Mr. Cullen, the owner of the residence on Medina Road.
For further information contact West Valley Homicide Detective Rick Swanston at 818-374-7721. After hours and on weekends, call the 24-hour toll free Detective Information Desk at 1-877-LAWFULL (877-529-3855).