This is a news release of the Kern County Sheriff's Office.
Please do not contact the Sheriff's Communications Center.

Date:  Saturday, December 27, 2008
Time:  4:56:33 PM

Details: On December 27th, at approximately 10:30 am, a Taft man went to 100 Shattuck Av to check the welfare of his mother, 68 year old Edith Yates. She had not been answering her telephone and had not been seen since the night before. When he arrived at the residence, he found it locked. He was able to enter the residence and found Yates unconscious. He called for medical aid. When medical aid arrived, they found that Yates was deceased.

Kern County Sheriff Homicide detectives were notified and responded to investigate the death as there were circumstances involved in the death that appeared to be suspicious.

As detectives were investigating the death, they found no signs of forced entry to Yates' residence and it did not appear that anything was taken or missing from the residence.

An autopsy is scheduled for Monday. There are no arrests. The investigation is continuing.