Woman found dead at beach had recently given birth
Tina Hoang, a 20-year-old woman found dead face down in the sand in Newport Beach, had given birth to a baby in January.
Police say her death was suspicious and are investigating.
“She was a very nice girl. I was just very shocked to hear that," said Tustin lawyer David Nisson, who represented her in criminal cases.Nisson said he last saw Hoang on Feb. 26, the day before her release from Orange County Jail, where she had been held on suspicion of loitering to commit prostitution in Anaheim.
“I feel so terrible for her baby,” he said, adding that he did not know who was caring for the child. “I almost feel guilty because I helped her get out of jail.Hoang had been arrested on suspicion of prostitution-related crimes in California, Nevada and Florida, court papers show.
The Bellflower resident, whose death was listed as “suspicious” by police, was arrested as recently as December on suspicion of prostitution and had at least a dozen open cases against her in Orange and Los Angeles counties, her attorney said.
She was arrested several times in 2011 and 2012 in Las Vegas on suspicion of prostitution, trespassing, and loitering in and entering a casino as a minor, said Laura Meltzer, a spokeswoman with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
She was scheduled to appear Friday in court in Van Nuys on prostitution charges.
And, in Florida, Hoang was arrested last November in Miami-Dade County on suspicion of solicitation, records show.
Police have said little about the woman’s death. Detectives said they are awaiting the results of an autopsy and toxicology tests.
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-- Lauren Williams
Photo: Tina Hoang. Credit: Newport Beach Police Department
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