Police Probe Death Of Dr. Laura's Mom

*** 1/2 UPDATE: The body of Yolanda Schlessinger sat in the Los Angeles morgue for 10 extra days before her daughter Laura claimed the 77-year-old woman's remains on December 28. The delay, coroner's officials told TSG, was apparently caused by a mixup on the part of the radio host, who thought that it was the responsibility of the coroner to inform her when the body could be claimed. In fact, a decedent's loved ones--or a funeral director hired by the family--must initiate contact with the coroner and arrange to pick up the body. The body of Yolanda Schlessinger--who was apparently murdered in her Beverly Hills condo--was delivered on December 17 to the L.A. coroner's office, where an autopsy was performed the following morning. It was at that point--Wednesday, December 18--that Schlessinger's body could have been removed from the morgue. But the remains were not claimed until 10 days later, when Yolanda Schlessinger's body was transferred to Hollywood Hills's Forest Lawn cemetery.

Police are investigating the recent death of Dr. Laura Schlessinger's mother as a homicide, according to Beverly Hills cops. The body of Yolanda Schlessinger, 77, was discovered Monday (12/16) by officers who responded to the elderly woman's condo after a neighbor called to say she was worried "after not seeing the resident for several weeks." According to Lt. Gary Gilmond, Beverly Hills cops are investigating Schlessinger's death as a homicide. On Wednesday, cops spoke with Laura Schlessinger, but the radio star has not identified her mother's body, nor does she plan to, said Keven Bellows, a Schlessinger spokesperson. In the below statement released through her radio syndication firm, Schlessinger said of her estranged mother, "I am 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." Details of Schlessinger's death were first reported by Norma Zager of The Beverly Hills Courier. (2 pages)

Here's a look at our favorite 2002 mug shots of the hoi polloi.