William Karl Scheiern, 77

William Karl Scheiern, a 77-year-old white male, was found dead Sunday, June 28, in the 600 block of Alexander Street in Glendale, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records. 

Glendale Police found the partially decomposed bodies of Scheiern and an unidentified elderly woman about 9:30 a.m. They were found in the home where Scheiern and his wife, Verna, have lived for more than 20 years, according to Lt. Robert William, a police spokesman.

Officers went to check on the couple after a family member called the police and said she couldn’t reach them. When police arrived, they found the front door ajar and discovered the bodies lying on the floor in a bedroom, according to coroner’s records. 

The cause of death was not clear, and information about how long the two were dead won’t be available until after the autopsies, said Craig Harvey, the L.A. County coroner’s chief of operations. 

Scheiern and the unidentified woman were formally pronounced dead at the scene at 10:11 a.m.

The house was not ransacked, and there was no evidence of theft, William told The Times. “We’re pretty confident the victims were targeted,” he said. “It’s not a random act of violence.”

Investigators say Scheiern’s grandson is a "person of interest." Nathaniel Scheiern — who had not yet been questioned because he was in the hospital after a car crash — had been living with his grandparents for about a year, William said. 

— Jeanette Marantos and Times staff reports