Ex-rock musician arrested after human remains found in search for his missing girlfriend
A former rock musician has been arrested on a first-degree murder charge in the death of his missing girlfriend after human remains were found in a wooded area in California, police said.
Theobald “Theo” Lengyel, 54, was taken into custody Tuesday in connection with the homicide of his girlfriend, Alice “Alyx” Kamakaokalani Herrmann, 61, who was last seen Dec. 3 in Santa Cruz, Capitola police announced Tuesday.
She was reported missing by her family on Dec. 12, the El Cerrito Police Department said. The Capitola Police Department took over as the lead agency in the case, and detectives quickly suspected foul play was involved, with Lengyel as a suspect.
Her car, a red 2007 Toyota Highlander, was found in front of her boyfriend’s home in El Cerrito, police said. Authorities also said that he “has not cooperated with the police investigation” and days following her disappearance he was known to have travelled by car from El Cerrito, California, to Portland, Oregon.
Lengyel was a founding member of the funk-metal band Mr. Bungle, according to sfgate.com. He played saxophone, clarinet and keyboards for the group from 1985 to the mid-1990s, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Investigators eventually recovered human remains in a wooded area within Tilden Regional Park in Berkeley, about 4 miles from El Cerrito. Those remains are pending DNA confirmation from the Contra Costa County Coroner’s Office.
Police did not share any details regarding the manner of death.
Lengyel was arrested without incident and booked into Santa Cruz County Jail. It’s not immediately clear if he has legal representation.
Capitola police said they are working with the Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office “to ensure a thorough prosecution of the case.”
The investigation is ongoing.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
