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Lovers remain questions about the cause of her death to celebrate the life of her 46-year-old mother, who was found dead in a homeless camp in Los Angeles on Friday night.
It was held at the location where Lucrecia Macias Barajas’ body was found, and friends and family shared the most favourite memories of a US Army veteran and a mother of six children.
“She had her life before her,” said Eilee Becerra, the woman’s daughter. “She was still very young.”
Her daughters said Barajas had left her house on the Saturday before Mother’s Day, and that was the last time they had heard from her.
After she went missing for several days and the family couldn’t reach her, they eventually followed her cell phone signal to the camp on Huntley Drive in the Westlake area near downtown LA.
In a locked tent, they find the bodies of Barajas and her male friend. Neighbors said at least one of the bodies was partially eaten by the dog.
Lucrecia Barajas, 46, an Army veteran and mother of six, can be seen in a family photo. Lucrecia Barajas, 46, is an Army veteran and mother of six, and can be seen in a family photo. The homeless camp in the Westlake area of LA will be seen on May 14, 2025 after the bodies of two individuals were found. (KTLA) The homeless camp in the Westlake area of LA will be seen on May 14, 2025 after the bodies of two individuals were found. (KTLA) Lucrecia Barajas (center) can be seen with family and loved ones. Lucrecia Barajas’ daughter, Enly Becerra, will speak to KTLA on May 30, 2025 in honor of her mother. Barajas was found. (KTLA) We gathered in the Westlake area near downtown LA for a candle vigil on May 30, 2025, near where Lucrecia Barajas’ body was found. (KTLA) Authorities are currently investigating after two bodies were found in a homeless camp in Los Angeles’ Westlake area on May 12, 2025. (KTLA)
Video of the scene shows Barajas’ youngest daughter crying out in grief and begging the police to remove her mother’s body from the tent.
However, the officers were still in the tent as they were still waiting as they were the two living dogs, the Pitbull Mix and the Shepherd mix, reportedly being bitten by Barajas’ body.
Her daughter told the Los Angeles Times that her mother’s body was not removed from the tent.
The bodies of both Barajas and the male victims were in the tent with the dog for at least eight hours after they were found, her family said.
Her daughters say they are not sure why her mother went to camp that day, but they believe the circumstances surrounding her death are questionable.
Los Angeles police detectives reportedly are investigating the case as a suspected overdose, but her family believes that the murder should not be ruled out and that there may be evidence of foul play.
One of their problems with alleged “overdose investigation” is that the tent where the mother and the man were found were locked up with a lock outside the entrance, possibly bolting it when a third party left the scene.
Additionally, a neighbor told the Times that he and his girlfriend argued that the sound of a man and a woman had a discussion about 3:30am that morning, followed by a woman’s scream before hearing the silence.
“We have a lot of questions,” said Raul Claros, founder/director of California Rising. “First, what happened when she left the house – the timeline of when she left the house and when she appeared. [at the encampment]. ”
Born in Nicaragua, Barajas fled with his family in 1986 amid the country’s civil war. She later joined the US military between the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Her daughters told the Times she thought her mother began using methamphetamine in 2017 as a way to raise six children, work full time, and combat stage 3 lymphoma. The children reportedly didn’t know that their mother was using drugs, but they said she eventually calmed down.
Barajas’ loved ones described her as a generous person who often delivers food to people struggling on the streets.
“Lucrecia was a wonderful man and served our country,” said longtime friend Stephanie Torres. “She doesn’t deserve to be wiped out under the rug. No, we’re not going to let that happen.”
The homeless camp where Barajas was discovered remains a chronic problem for many residents. Many residents say the area is attracting criminal activity, drug use and safety risks.
Neighbors said the area has been ignored by city officials and despite repeated complaints, nothing has been done to curb the growing issues.
“Families and the community believe that if these camps weren’t here, these two individuals would still be alive,” Claros said.
Barajas’ daughters said they spoke with LAPD detectives about an investigation, and presented them with a theory about what they thought might have happened to their mother.
“That’s everything I want, it’s justice, and it’s my mother’s memory that won’t go away,” Becerra said.
Eunisses Hernandez, a LA City Council member representing the Westlake area, told the Times in a statement that after speaking to LAPD, “we are working to ensure that our families get the answers they deserve.”
“I want people to know that she’s not a homeless drug addict because that’s not true,” Bekela said. “Some people have come to that conclusion, but that’s not fair. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
The cause of death of Barajas and the unidentified man is under investigation. A GoFundMe page to help her family with funeral costs can be found here.
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