Nadine Hernandez, the detective who was investigating the Derrick Rose gang rape case, died of a gunshot wound on Tuesday at her relative’s home in Whittier, the Los Angeles Times has reported.
While the investigation is still ongoing, the wound is currently believed to be self-inflicted.
“At this time, there are no signs of foul play, and this incident is being investigated as a suicide,” Whittier police said Wednesday.
Whittier police received a call at 2:45 p.m. on Tuesday to report an attempted suicide. Hernandez died at PIH Health Hospital at 3:27 p.m.
Rose, the 2011 NBA MVP who currently plays for the New York Knicks, and two of his friends are currently in the middle of a civil trial in a federal court in LA over an alleged gang rape that occurred on August 27, 2013.
Last month, Hernandez wrote a letter to Brandon Anand, the lawyer for Rose’s accuser, saying the LAPD does in fact have an active criminal rape investigation against Rose and his two friends.
In a statement to the Times, the LAPD said that Hernandez was one of a few detectives on the Rose case, and said that the investigation would be unimpeded. The ongoing criminal investigation is completely separate from the civil trial that is currently underway, and Hernandez was not expected to testify in that trial.
When her death was announced in court on Wednesday by Rose’s attorney, Anand and the plaintiff were reportedly “visibly surprised.”
As a detective in the LAPD’s Robbery-Homicide Division Special Assault Section, Hernandez was often involved in high-profile sex crime cases, department sources reported.
“We are heartbroken about the tragic death of Detective Nadine Hernandez, a 19-year veteran of the department,” the LAPD said. “It is a loss that touches us all in the LAPD family.”
This is a developing story and has been updated to include more information about Hernandez, the LAPD statement on the death, and the news that the gunshot is believed to be self-inflicted