Missing Landlord Killed By Her Tenant: San Bernardino County Sheriff's Dept.

SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY, CA — A 72-year-old Inland Empire resident who mysteriously disappeared was killed by her tenant, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department announced over the weekend.

Margaret Minier, 57, was arrested on suspicion of murder in the death of Mindy Kum. Both women were from Phelan, in the High Desert region of San Bernardino County.

According to the sheriff's department, Kum was reported missing by her family on Sept. 2. They last saw her in the Orange County city of Tustin.

Investigators determined that Kum's last known whereabouts were in the Phelan area. Detectives were led to a home there on Smoke Tree Road that Kum owned. Minier lived at the residence and rented it from Kum, according to the sheriff's department.

During a search of the property, human remains were found, though officials have not confirmed whether they definitely belonged to Kum. Still, it was enough to arrest Minier on suspicion of murdering her landlord.

Minier is not in jail because she was hospitalized for an unrelated health issue, according to sheriff's spokesperson Mara Rodriguez.

"Upon her release from the hospital, she will be booked for PC 187-Murder," Rodriguez said via email.