Police Identify 2 Women Found Dead at Residence

BURBANK — Authorities on Friday identified the mother and daughter who were found dead a day earlier inside a home on Brighton Street and confirmed that the younger woman was hanged.

The body of Yoshiko Mizoguchi, 42, was found hanging in the den of the residence Thursday, while the body of her mother, Sumako Mizoguchi, 65, was found nearby, police said.

Authorities said the cause of death was unknown for both women. Autopsies are expected to be conducted today, they said.

Burbank Police Lt. Larry Koch declined to provide details surrounding the deaths, including the method used to hang the younger woman, saying the matter is under investigation.

“We wouldn’t talk about the device that she was hanging by,” Koch said. Authorities also declined to classify the deaths in any way, specifically whether they involved homicide or suicide.

Police said there were no suspects and a motive remained unknown, they said.

Authorities said the women apparently moved from Glendale to the Brighton Street home within the past couple of weeks. Their nearest relatives live in Japan and were notified of the deaths, authorities said.

The bodies were found Thursday at about 2:30 p.m. by a friend of the landlord who stopped by to see the women. The friend and the landlord, who were at the home late Thursday, declined to comment.

The two women were believed to have moved to the United States from Japan about 10 years ago, police said.