The mother of radio talk show personality Laura Schlessinger was found dead this week in her Beverly Hills condominium, where she had remained undiscovered for as long as two months. Police said they are investigating it as a homicide.
Neighbors said they had last seen Yolanda Schlessinger, 77, in September. Building managers called police after noticing her uncollected mail. She also had not paid her condo fees.
The younger Schlessinger, who grew wealthy dispensing advice about families and relationships on her radio program, had talked often about being estranged from her mother. She confirmed the death on her radio show Friday.
Police would not say how long Yolanda Schlessinger had been dead. In a statement released before her show Friday, Laura Schlessinger said she was "horrified by the tragic circumstances of my mother's death, and so sad to learn that she died as she chose to live -- alone and isolated. My mother shut all her family out of her life over the years, though we made several futile attempts to stay connected. May God rest her soul."
Later, on the air, Schlessinger said she was, "shocked and horrified" by the suspicion of a crime and, "overwhelmed by sadness," but blamed their estrangement on her mother. Schlessinger also has a sister.
In a 1994 People magazine profile, Schlessinger said the estrangement dated to 1986, when her mother walked off the job as Laura's secretary.
Neighbors described Yolanda Schlessinger as a friendly, pleasant, talkative person who seemed "quite bright," said Edna Neidorff, a former resident of the apartment complex in the 400 block of North Palm Drive.
Neidorff said the victim was chatty with neighbors. They called her "Lundy," the name she listed on the condo roster.
Schlessinger had lived in the building two or three years with a very noisy, white, parrot-like bird, Neidorff and other neighbors said. Several said they had stopped hearing the bird some weeks ago.
Licia Masi lived in the same building as Yolanda Schlessinger. Masi said that earlier this week, her daughter, a building manager, had called police to check on Schlessinger.
Masi's daughter had grown concerned because she had not seen Schlessinger in about two months, mail had begun to pile up, and two months had passed without her paying her condo bill, Masi said.
When police entered the apartment, they found the windows slightly ajar -- one reason, Masi said, that no odor was detectable to other residents. Police could not confirm this.
