Man suspected in death of 20-year-old Agoura woman

LESLIE HAUKOOS/Acorn Newspapers MISSED- Pictures of Kaylin Mathews are part of a street memorial that was set up at Kanan and Agoura roads in Agoura Hills. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department says it has a suspect in connection with the death of 20-year-old Kaylin Marie Mathews, whose body was found July 1 in a ravine near Lobo Canyon in rural Agoura.

The name of the suspect, identified only as a "young man," was not released.

Lt. Dan Rosenberg, the lead investigator on the case, said only that the man was a friend of Mathews and lived in the area.

The victim was from Agoura Hills.

No information was available about whether or not the man was solely responsible for discarding Mathews' body in the canyon, or if others were involved. The man has not been arrested or charged with a crime, Rosenberg said.

Rosenberg at first suspected the woman's death might be linked to a drug overdose, but later said the circumstances surround the incident "did not involve a party."

"This case is very disturbing to me," Rosenberg said.

He did not say whether a murder charge might be pending.

After learning that Mathews had died, several people called the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff's Station to aid detectives in their investigation.

Friends of the woman provided details about the night she died, and information about what occurred between Mathews and the man the previous day.

"They were concerned with what happened," Rosenberg said.

"Our job is to conduct a complete, unbiased investigation, follow the evidence and present it to the District's Attorney's office," he said. "Then they will determine whether to file any charges.

Mathews was born on March 1, 1988 in Borger, Tex. A memorial service at a church in the small, north Texas town was held on July 12.

Mathews was a 2005 graduate of Indian Hills High School in Calabasas and later worked as a disc jockey.