The husband of a woman who was found dead inside a burned home in San Marino has been arrested on suspicion of murder, authorities said.
Firefighters found the body of 56-year-old Irene Gaw-Lai after extinguishing a residential fire in the 2600 block of Lorain Road on the morning of Jan. 6, according to the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department.
There were signs of physical trauma on her upper body, officials said, and L.A. County Sheriff’s detectives began investigating the death as a homicide.
Nearly six months later, an arrest has been made. Her husband, Yoon Lai, 63, was detained in the city of San Gabriel on Thursday, according to the Sheriff’s Department.
Lai is being held on a no bail warrant, and the Sheriff’s Department intends to present the case to the L.A. County district attorney’s office on Tuesday.
The L.A. County medical examiner ruled Lai’s cause of death as undetermined after autopsy and toxicology studies. Detectives who responded to the initial incident said the woman’s body was badly burned.
Friends told ABC7 News that Gaw-Lai was the mother of twins and a well-liked physician. Neighbors told the news channel that she was in the middle of a contentious divorce.
Gaw-Lai filed a petition for divorce of marriage with minor children in August 2024, according to court records. She had filed a previous petition for divorce from Lai in 2003, according to court records.
Gaw-Lai, who also went by the the last name Gaw Gonzalo, was a licensed endocrinologist, according to the Medical Board of California. Several of her patients left mournful messages on the Yelp page of her Arcadia practice.
“Amazing Endocrinologist! So sadden for her loss. The staff was just as likeable and professional as her, which is really hard to find in the medical industry,” wrote one patient. “I miss her so much and still trying to take in the tragic loss to the industry. I knew my health was on a positive path because of her.”
Her husband initially told investigators that he had taken their two sons to baseball practice and returned to find their house on fire, Sheriff’s Lt. Steven De Jong told ABC7 News on the day of the fire.
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