Murdered South San Jose mother remembered as 'lovely person'

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- The multi-colored flowers placed in front of a garage door seemed to be the only bright spot along Knollfield Way on Monday morning.

The garage is attached to the home that belonged to Bambi Larson. The mother of two was found dead inside the property last Thursday. The incident was the first violent crime the street had ever experienced.

"Never been something like that," Angelo Bondi, a neighbor since 1980 said. "Never."

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According to sources, police have a person of interest in mind. Officers stepped up their patrols over the weekend and searched the Thousand Oaks street all over again. They looked in bushes, homes, and cameras like Bondi's.

"I've got one over there, then they look here and the other side," Bondi told ABC7 News.

Bondi said officers didn't find anything on his cameras but did see someone appearing suspicious on another neighbor's home surveillance camera. Neighbors told ABC7 News investigators located a stained sweater thrown in a trash can nearby and collected it as evidence.

ABC7 News cameras captured officers leaving Knollfield Way on Monday. Our crew saw them looking into trash cans just before they drove off.

"I'm glad they're getting some activity and I hope they find this person," Daniel Washer, a neighbor and friend of Larson said. "It really saddens me that she's passed. My wife is quite upset."

"She's a lovely person," Washer said. "I think most of the people in the neighborhood really like her. Very kind, very sweet. She had a great dog."

Larson worked for a local biotechnology company. It was a concerned colleague that led to the discovery of Larson's body. She hadn't shown up for work.

Roche Sequencing Solutions released the following statement to ABC7 News, "We are very saddened by the passing of our colleague and friend. Given the nature of the case, we cannot comment further."

It's not clear exactly how Larson was killed. San Jose Police said they would not be sharing any new information on Monday.