Police say an axe was recovered inside the couple’s home.
NORTH HOLLYWOOD, CA — An off-duty Glendale firefighter was arrested early Wednesday after Los Angeles police found his wife dead in their North Hollywood home just before dawn, a discovery that turned a welfare check into a homicide investigation at a quiet residential block.
Authorities said officers were flagged down before sunrise by the husband, who reported an altercation and said he could not reach his wife. Responding units entered a house near the 5600 block of Satsuma Avenue, close to Burbank Boulevard, and found the woman unresponsive with extensive blunt-force injuries. Investigators recovered an axe at the scene. The husband was detained on suspicion of murder and later booked into jail as detectives began processing evidence and interviewing witnesses. The case has drawn swift attention because the man is a veteran firefighter-paramedic with the Glendale Fire Department, and the victim was identified as a longtime educator. Police emphasized there was no broader threat to the public.
Officers arrived just before 5:30 a.m. and pronounced the woman, identified by authorities as 55-year-old Mayra Jimenez, dead at the scene. Her husband, 45-year-old firefighter-paramedic Andrew Jimenez, was taken into custody at a nearby LAPD station after alerting officers to the home, police said. Court records show he was booked on suspicion of murder with bail initially set at $2 million. In a brief statement, the city of Glendale said it was notified by LAPD that an off-duty member of its fire department had been detained in connection with an active homicide investigation. “LAPD is the lead investigating agency and the matter is ongoing,” the city said. Later Wednesday, LAPD Lt. Guy Golan said investigators believe the violence was contained to the residence and involved “cohabitating adults,” adding there was no indication of a wider safety risk.
Detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department collected evidence inside the single-family home and canvassed the block for surveillance footage. The axe discovered in the residence was logged as evidence as investigators worked to determine how it may have been used. Officials said preliminary findings indicate blunt-force trauma, though the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner will conduct an autopsy to confirm the cause and manner of death and to establish a more precise timeline. Neighbors said patrol cars and crime-scene vans remained at the address for hours as officers photographed rooms and marked items for analysis. Police did not immediately announce any additional arrests and said no children were present in the house at the time of the discovery. A motive was not released Wednesday.
City records show Andrew Jimenez has served with the Glendale Fire Department since 2008 and was working as a firefighter-paramedic. Glendale officials said he was placed off duty and on administrative leave pending the criminal case and any internal inquiry that follows. Family acquaintances told reporters that Mayra Jimenez taught at Wilshire Park Elementary and had been married to her husband for more than 11 years. Police did not list any prior calls for service to the address in their initial summary and cautioned that the investigation was still in its early stages. Detectives are reviewing statements, physical evidence, and any digital records that might clarify the sequence of events inside the home before officers arrived.
North Hollywood, a neighborhood in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley, has seen sporadic high-profile violent crimes in recent years but remains largely residential near Satsuma Avenue, a corridor of low-slung houses and small apartment buildings just south of Burbank Boulevard. Domestic violence homicides account for a significant share of killings countywide, according to public safety data, and police routinely note that many such cases involve no threat beyond the involved household. On Wednesday, patrol officers kept the street closed to non-residents for part of the morning as detectives worked. By late afternoon, the yellow tape had come down and only a small memorial—flowers and a candle—was visible near the curb.
Officials said the homicide will be submitted to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for filing consideration after detectives finish their initial reports and confer with prosecutors. If charges are filed, the defendant’s first court appearance would occur in Los Angeles County Superior Court, with an arraignment date to be set by the court. The Medical Examiner’s autopsy findings, expected in the coming days, will be incorporated into the case file, along with any laboratory results from the weapon collected at the scene. Glendale city officials said any employment decisions beyond administrative leave will wait on the outcome of the criminal process. Police said they expect to release additional updates once next-of-kin notifications and procedural steps are complete.
Throughout the day, a handful of neighbors gathered on the sidewalk, expressing shock at the heavy police presence on a block known more for dog walkers than patrol lights. “I woke up to sirens before sunrise and saw officers going door to door,” said one resident who declined to give a last name. A colleague from Wilshire Park Elementary, who brought a small bouquet after school, described Mayra Jimenez as “the kind of teacher who remembered every kid’s story” and said staff members were making plans to support students who might learn of her death. Outside the Northeast Community Police Station, where the suspect was initially held, a Glendale Fire Department spokesperson offered no comment beyond the city’s written statement.
As of Wednesday night, the suspect remained in custody on suspicion of murder while detectives continued interviews and evidence review. The Medical Examiner’s autopsy and the district attorney’s filing decision are the next major steps, with any initial court date to be announced once charges are filed.
Author note: Last updated January 21, 2026.