‘Person of interest’ in Irvine man’s killing is in custody, police say
Investigators walk a bike path near the 405 Freeway in Irvine where a body was found Jan. 19. A suspect has been identified in the case.
A person in custody on unrelated allegations is considered a “person of interest” in the killing of a 51-year-old Irvine man last week, police said Tuesday.
Irvine detectives have been investigating the death of Sidney Siemensma since Jan. 19, when his body was discovered around 7 a.m. on a bike path near the Los Olivos neighborhood.
Police have released few details, but in a video posted to the department’s Facebook page Tuesday, Cmdr. Bill Whalen said police contacted a person of interest in Siemensma’s death and later arrested the person on suspicion of unrelated charges.
It was unclear what the person is suspected of, and police stopped short of calling the person a suspect in the killing. They declined to release more information about the person.
Whalen said police do not think there is any danger to the community related to Siemensma’s death.
“Based on what we believe at this time, he knew his assailant and this was not a random attack on a stranger,” Whalen said. “Instead, this appears to be an isolated incident.”