Amber Loraine Alvarado, 18

Amber Loraine Alvarado, an 18-year-old Latina, died Sunday, Dec. 3, after being shot the day before in the 35800 block of 96th Street East in the Antelope Valley town of Littlerock, according to Los Angeles County coroner's records. 

 L.A. County Sheriff's deputies were called to 96th Street East and East Avenue T12 at 11:27 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 2, after a passerby reported finding a car crashed into a chain link fence in front of a house, said Lt. Derrick Alfred. 

Deputies found Alvarado alone, slumped inside the car, Alfred said. It first appeared she was the victim of the collision, he said, but then paramedics realized she had been shot. 

Alvarado was taken to a nearby hospital where she was pronounced dead at 7:59 a.m. Dec. 3, according to coroner's records. The cause of death was listed as a gunshot wound to the neck. 

Investigators believe Alvarado may have been shot from inside the car, which was registered to someone else, Alfred said. "We don't know enough to say for sure," he said. "The window was shot out, but it looks more like it was shot from the inside than the outside."

Alfred said investigators are trying to find the owner of the car to determine why Alvarado was driving it. Alvarado lived in Long Beach, Alfred said, but it appears she came to Littlerock to visit friends. 

Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff's Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500. Those wishing to remain anonymous should call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477. 

Contact the Homicide Report. Follow @latimeshomicide on Twitter.