Family and friends of Wendi Miller, 48, and Darren Partch, 38, were shocked to learn their bodies had been found in his condo Sunday 'Amazing, Loving Mother' Is Found Dead with Ex-Pro Hockey Player in His Newport Beach Condo A California mom who’d been missing since Friday night and a former pro hockey player were found dead in his Newport Beach condominium Sunday in what police are calling a possible double-homicide. On Sunday at 9:30 p.m., Newport Beach police responded to a 911 call from a man who returned to his upscale condo to find the bodies of his roommate, Darren Partch, 38, as well as a woman he did not recognize, later identified by the Orange County coroner as Wendy Miller, 48, of Costa Mesa, the Los Angeles Times reports. Get push notifications with news, features and more. Police are investigating. They have said the crime was an isolated incident with no sign of forced entry, and they do not believe the public is in danger, local ABC affiliate KABC reports. Miller had been missing since late Friday night, KABC reports. On Saturday, her son, Luke Carpenter, pleaded on Facebook for her safe return. Newport Beach resident James Kwast says Miller had given Partch a ride home Friday night after they left the Sandpiper bar in Laguna Beach, where she was last seen, the Times reports. “They hit it off,” Kwast told the Times. “They had a great time down in Laguna Beach. He needed a ride home. She was known for giving people rides home whenever they needed it.” • Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. A friend of Miller’s told local CBS affiliate KCAL that Miller had texted friends early Saturday morning saying she was OK, KCAL reports. “From what I understand it just said, ‘We made it safely. Did you make it home OK? '” the unidentified friend told KCAL. “She was checking in but she didn’t say where she was and she wasn’t home.” A well-known social justice advocate in the community, Miller was chief executive of Wings for Justice, a nonprofit that works to protect children in the family court system. On Sunday, Miller’s son wrote an emotional post on Facebook announcing his mom’s tragic death and thanking everyone for their support, saying, “She had been shot and it was told to us that she did not suffer. The police are still investigating all the details,” the post read. It continued, “I have no doubt in my mind that she was loved on earth and I’m happy that she gets to be loved even better in heaven. I love you mom.” A statement released by Miller’s family says, “Wendi lit up every room she entered,” KABC reports. “She was an amazing, loving mother. She was joy and light and love.” Partch worked as a finance and credit consultant, KABC reports. He played on several minor league hockey teams over the years, according to Pointstreak.com. “Darren was a great guy,” Kwast told the Times. “My first interaction with him, he was very calming. He’s very likable.” The Newport Beach Police Department did not respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.<doc-sep>“My heart is broken. How can this be? One of my favorite humans ever. The biggest bright light in our lives,” Miller’s friend Tina Selby Palmer wrote on Facebook. “I can’t believe that this is the end of her amazing story. She was literally the brightest light I have ever known.”<doc-sep>
A former professional hockey player and a mother of two were found dead over the weekend in the athlete's home in California, officials said. Wendi Miller, 48, and Darren Partch, 38, were discovered at Partch's condominium in Newport Beach, according to online records from the Orange County Coroner's Office. WOMAN INDICTED IN 1975 COLD-CASE MURDER OF 16-YEAR-OLD GEORGIA GIRL DIES BEFORE TRIAL Around 9:30 p.m. on Sunday, the Newport Beach Police Department received a call to the home, where the two were found. In a news release on Monday, authorities said that the situation is being investigated as a homicide, but did not reveal further information about how they were killed or what their relationship was. Partch spent years playing professional hockey as a forward for teams including the Waterloo Black Hawks and San Diego Gulls, according to Hockeydb.com. Miller was the CEO of Wings for Justice, a nonprofit organization that advocates on behalf of children in the criminal justice system. Her online bio states she spent her life devoting "herself to the healing and edification of children, adults, and families," and spent more than 12 years working as a licensed psychologist in California and Michigan. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Luke Carpenter, identified by The Mercury News as Miller's son, wrote on Facebook that his mother was fatally shot. He added, "It was told to us that she did not suffer. The police are still investigating all the details." "I have no doubt in my mind that she was loved on earth and I’m happy that she gets to be loved even better in heaven. I love you mom," Miller's son said. Anyone with information is urged to contact Newport Beach Detective Rick Henry at 949-644-3797.