In the quiet city of Palmdale, Los Angeles County, California, a grim discovery has shaken the local community. A 27-year-old pregnant woman, Tashae Johnson, who was pregnant with twins, was found stabbed to death in her own home. This heartbreaking incident has sparked a homicide investigation as authorities scramble to piece together the events that led to such a brutal act.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies were initially called to perform a welfare check at a residence on the 38000 block of 20th Street East just after 8 p.m. on Tuesday night, April 30, 2024, after the woman had not been seen for several days. Upon arrival, they were forced to enter the home after noticing signs of a disturbance, with blood on the living room floor. Inside, they found the young woman with severe stab wounds, and sadly, she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Lt. Michael Gomez of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department stated that the details surrounding what happened and what caused her death are currently unclear.
Detectives are actively pursuing leads and examining surveillance footage from the apartment complex in hopes of identifying the perpetrator.
Alexis Armstrong, a close friend of the slain woman, is overwhelmed with grief. “I can’t comprehend why such cruelty exists,” she lamented, recalling her friend’s kind nature. She added that the victim was nearing the end of her pregnancy with twins and expected to give birth in about a month, which deepened the tragedy. Armstrong emotionally shared how she had to deliver the heartbreaking news to the children’s father, who was devastated, as these would have been his first children.
Armstrong fondly remembered Tashae as a truly wonderful person who was always ready with a joke to lighten the mood, describing her as an “angel” whose brutal murder was undeserved.
Crime rates in Palmdale, CA, located about 60 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles, show a mixed picture compared to national and state averages. The chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime in Palmdale is higher than many other communities across America. Specifically, your chance of being a victim of violent crime in Palmdale is about 1 in 179, while the chance of becoming a victim of property crime is around 1 in 64.
The city experiences a significant volume of violent crime compared to other US cities, including offenses such as assault, robbery, and murder. The violent crime rate is particularly pronounced, ranking Palmdale as having one of the highest violent crime rates nationally when considering communities of all sizes.