UPDATED: Officials identify 71-year-old Whittier man killed in mysterious slaying

WHITTIER — Coroner’s officials Saturday released the name of a 71-year-old Whittier man found fatally shot inside his SUV as homicide detectives continued gathering clues in the mysterious slaying.
Joe Telles was pronounced dead at 12:17 p.m. Friday at the scene of the shooting in the 13900 block of Placid Drive in an unincorporated county area near Whittier, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner’s Lt. Larry Dietz said.
He was discovered sitting in his SUV, which parked along the side of the road, with a wound to his head, according to sheriff’s and coroner’s officials.
An autopsy performed Saturday concluded Telles died from gunshot wounds to the head, officials said. The death was ruled a homicide.
A motive in the slaying was unknown, and no suspect description was available. The slaying was first reported when a neighbor noticed Telles unconscious in his vehicle at 12:07 p.m., Lt. Holly Francisco of the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau said.
Nothing was believed to have been stolen from Telles, she added.
“It doesn’t appear to be a robbery at this time,” the investigator said.
“We’re just trying to contact anyone who might have seen (Telles) in that area or in that vehicle, just to try to figure out what happened.”
Telles did not live on Placid Drive, officials said, however he does live in “close proximity” to the shooting scene in an unincorporated county area near Whittier.
Detectives were looking into why Telles was parked on the street.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500.
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