Ex-Boyfriend of Woman whose Body was Found in Long Beach Flood Basin Charged with Her Death

LONG BEACH, CA -- A former boyfriend of a 29-year-old woman whose body was found near her abandoned and damaged vehicle in a Long Beach flood control basin has been arrested on suspicion of murdering her.

The body of Samantha Lang of Signal Hill was found about 1:30 a.m. on Dec. 6 in the 1000 block of West Carson Street, Long Beach police Sgt. Brad Johnson said.

The woman's cause of death was listed by the coroner's office as strangulation.

Lang's abandoned and vandalized vehicle had been located a day earlier at the bottom of a flood control channel, according to the Long Beach police department.

"Her body was later located when officers returned to the area and conducted an extensive search," police said.

"During the course of their investigation, detectives obtained information that led them to the victim's ex-boyfriend, identified as 41-year- old Justin James Johnson of Signal Hill," according to the LBPD.

Police reported that investigators arrested Johnson on Friday in Los Angeles on suspicion of murder, but sheriff's records show he was arrested and booked last Wednesday and was being held without bail.

-- City News Service, photo via Shutterstock