Police said the attackers took cash and jewelry before fleeing in a white sedan.
LOS ANGELES, CA — A woman in her 70s was hospitalized after masked robbers entered her Hollywood Hills home Thursday night, strangled her and stole cash and jewelry, Los Angeles police said.
The attack put a quiet Laurel Canyon street at the center of a violent robbery investigation. Police were still searching Friday for the suspects, who fled before officers arrived. The Los Angeles Police Department’s Robbery-Homicide Division took over the case, a sign that detectives were treating the assault as more than a routine burglary.
Officers were called Thursday night to the 8500 block of Lookout Mountain Avenue, near Wonderland Avenue Elementary School, after a report of a robbery at a home. Police accounts placed the call shortly after 8 p.m., though some reports listed the response closer to 8:30 p.m. or 9 p.m. Investigators said masked suspects entered the residence and confronted the woman inside. They demanded property, including money and jewelry, then attacked her and strangled her before leaving. “The suspects demanded property, including money and jewelry, from the victim, then attacked and strangled the woman,” police said through accounts released to local media.
The woman was taken to a hospital after the attack. Her exact injuries and medical condition were not released Friday, though one police account said she was stable. Police did not publicly release her name. Neighbors identified her to local reporters as Margaux Mirkin, a daughter of Morris Mirkin, who founded Budget Rent a Car. The number of suspects remained unclear in the first day of reporting. Some police accounts described at least two masked men, while another account said three suspects were involved. Police said the suspects wore dark hoodies and masks. They left in a white sedan, described in one report as a white Honda Accord. The value of the stolen property also was not fully settled. Police said cash and jewelry were taken, and one local report put the loss at about $20,000.
The home sits on Lookout Mountain Avenue in Laurel Canyon, a narrow and winding area of the Hollywood Hills known for hillside houses, dead-end streets and limited nighttime lighting. A neighbor who gave only the first name Chris said the block had features that could draw thieves. “It’s a dark street. It’s at the top. Dead-end street. Not many people on it,” he said. “So, of course, it’s like the perfect street for a break-in.” Another neighbor, Lee Bridges, said the attack shocked residents who were more used to small property crimes. “Normally the only crime issue we have in this neighborhood is people breaking into mailboxes or cars so this is absolutely new,” Bridges said.
The case also brought renewed attention to the victim’s reported family ties and to a nearby death that drew wide notice in late 2024. Neighbors identified Mirkin as the widow of a man known as William de Rothschild, who died after a fire at a Lookout Mountain Avenue home on Nov. 27, 2024. The Los Angeles County medical examiner later ruled that death an accident, with heart disease listed as the cause and smoke inhalation as a contributing factor. Public records reported by the Los Angeles Times showed the man was born William Alfred Kauffman and legally changed his name in 1985. His brother later said he did not believe the family had any connection to the Rothschild banking family.
No arrests had been announced by Friday evening. Police had not released booking information, suspect names or a full public description beyond the masks, dark clothing and white sedan. Detectives were expected to review neighborhood security video, check for license plate readers and seek any witness accounts from Lookout Mountain Avenue and nearby canyon roads. The Robbery-Homicide Division’s role means the investigation could include follow-up interviews, evidence collection inside the home and a review of whether the victim was targeted. Police had not said whether the robbers knew the woman, knew valuables were inside, or picked the home at random.
The attack came as Los Angeles-area residents have raised concerns about residential break-ins, including a series of reported burglaries in other parts of the city. NBC Los Angeles reported that it had covered break-ins each day for two weeks, many of them in the San Fernando Valley. Mayor Karen Bass had said patrols were increased there. Police had not publicly tied the Hollywood Hills robbery to those cases. In Laurel Canyon, neighbors described the victim as private and familiar to people on the street. Bridges called her “one of our normal neighbors” and “a senior having her retired life.” He said residents were upset by the violence and hoped she recovered.
As of Friday, April 24, detectives had not released a scheduled briefing or court date because no suspect had been arrested. The next milestone in the case is likely a police update on the woman’s condition, the stolen property and any vehicle or surveillance evidence tied to the white sedan.
Author note: Last updated April 25, 2026.