Caretaker’s Body Found in Trunk

SHERMAN OAKS — Police are investigating the shooting death of a 41-year-old live-in caretaker whose body was found Monday morning in the trunk of his late model Lincoln, authorities said.

Stephen Schwarzwald was found fully clothed with at least one gunshot wound to his upper torso about 11:30 a.m., shortly after his employer called police to file a missing persons report, police said. The car was parked in the driveway of the house Schwarzwald and his employer, William Braem, shared in an upper-middle-class hillside neighborhood.

Braem, described by police as in his mid-80s and wheelchair bound, told police that Schwarzwald left the house on the 4000 block of Cody Road at about 6 p.m. Sunday and never returned.

When police arrived at the house they spotted Schwarzwald’s car--a mint green, two-door Lincoln with the license plate REBL LNC--parked in the driveway, partially shrouded from view by bushes. As part of a routine investigation, the officers checked the trunk, said Det. James Rahm of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Van Nuys station.

Upon finding the body, police blocked off the area surrounding the two-story house, situated on a hillside at the corner of Cody Road and Rayneta Drive.

Capt. Richard Wemmer of the Van Nuys station said police don’t believe Schwarzwald’s death is the work of a serial killer or linked to any other crimes.

“We believe this is an isolated incident, there is no pattern or trends that connect to this,” Wemmer said.

Rahm said police have no suspects and are still investigating whether Schwarzwald may have been robbed. It wasn’t clear if the body showed any signs of a struggle.

“There’s a person in the trunk, that’s what makes it unusual,” Rahm said.

John Bohannon, who said he was a friend of Schwarzwald, said he last saw the victim at Weiler’s Deli in North Hills about 7:30 p.m. Schwarzwald left shortly after telling Bohannon he was going to a nearby market.

“Last night he looked kind of perturbed,” Bohannon said, adding it appeared he was anxious to get to the market, which closed at 8 p.m.

Neighbors said Schwarzwald, who lived in the house about 20 years, regularly shined his Lincoln and was often seen walking around the neighborhood in evenings wearing coveralls.

When he was found on Monday, police said Schwarzwald was wearing a white shirt, pants and cowboy boots.

Friends said they didn’t think Schwarzwald had any enemies.

“He had a lot of friends, he was nice,” Bohannon said. “He would never hurt a fly.” Bohannon said his friend loved late-model cars and often went to “cruise nights” at Bob’s Big Boy and other spots around the Valley.

“Stephen wore a cowboy hat and kept his wallet on a chain hanging from his belt,” Bohannon said. “He was a very colorful guy.”

Police are asking anyone who has any information about Schwarzwald’s death to call the Van Nuys station’s homicide division at (818) 756-8371.

Hill-Holtzman is a Times staff writer and Vitucci is a special correspondent.