Suspected Killer May Be Hiding Out In Murrieta, Temecula: Sheriff

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — A man suspected of killing his ex-girlfriend in San Jacinto may be hiding out in the Temecula/Murrieta area, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department warned.

An arrest warrant has been issued for Lawson Blanchette, 61, who is suspected in the July 5 slaying of Marie Hannah, 47, of San Jacinto. According to the sheriff's department, her body was found "with injuries" around 9:30 p.m. that night inside a home in the 600 block of Groveside Drive. Details on the manner of her death were not provided.

Blanchette killed Hannah and then fled the scene in a newer burgundy Cadillac, possibly a CTS, according to the sheriff's department.

He "may have fled to the Temecula/Murrieta, Sage, San Bernardino, Los Angeles or Roseville areas," the department advised.

Blanchette is described as white, 6-feet tall, 212 pounds, with brown hair and hazel eyes.

The public is asked to call 911 if they see Blanchett; do not attempt to contact him, the sheriff's department said.