Prominent businesswoman found dead inside her Reseda home; suspect arrested

LOS ANGELES - A suspect has been arrested in connection to the murder of a 48-year-old woman who was found dead inside her Reseda home Thursday morning.

Officers were called to the house on the the 19300 block of Covello Street, near Tampa Avenue and Saticoy Street, around 7 a.m. Thursday by a family member who said they could not contact the woman, according to a department statement.

Police entered the home and found Michelle Avan unresponsive. Paramedics arrived and pronounced her dead at the scene.

Later that day, LAPD officers located the suspect in the Westchester area and placed him under arrest. The suspect was identified as Anthony Duwayne Turner.

The exact cause of Avan's death is unknown, though homicide detectives noted she "appeared to have suffered trauma to her face.''

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Avan was a prominent businesswoman and bank executive. She 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.

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.

Turner's bail is set at $2 million.  

Anyone with information is asked to call LAPD Valley Bureau homicide detectives at 818-374-9550. Calls made during non-business hours or on weekends should be made to 877-527-3247. Anonymous tips can be called in to Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or submitted online at lacrimestoppers.org.

City News Service contributed to this report 

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