A mannequin in the passenger seat of a parked van led San Diego police to two Texas fugitives.
San Diego police spotted the large white van with Texas plates parked near a Costco in Kearny Mesa east of San Diego.
The van was backed into a space in the parking lot along Othello Avenue with a mannequin placed in the front seat. The mannequin was dressed and wearing red lipstick.
Officers immediately thought the vehicle looked suspicious and ran the license plate.
That's when they found that the van was linked to a person of interest wanted for questioning in a Houston man’s death.
Officers awoke the man and the woman inside the van, both described as in their 30s, and detained them on a felony warrant.
SDPD Lt. Mark Bennett said officers aren’t sure why the mannequin was placed in the front seat.
“The van is full of a lot of things. I have no idea what’s in there or why it’s in there,” Bennett said.
Investigators contacted Houston police who are sending homicide investigators to San Diego to search the van and interview the suspects.