The body of a man who washed ashore on a Ventura County beach was identified.

The man was confirmed to be Connor O’Donnell, 31, from Oak Park, according to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office.

On April 17, deputies responded to reports of a body found at Sandy Dune Beach on Pacific Coast Highway at around 4:30 p.m.

The sheriff’s Major Crime Investigators and the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office responded to the beach to investigate.

The cause and circumstances surrounding the man’s death are unclear.

Detectives are seeking any information related to O’Donnell’s activities and known whereabouts between April 6 and April 17.

“Anytime a body is found in the ocean, it is always regarded as suspicious,” explained VCSO Capt. Dean Worthy. “However, at this time, they are investigating if it was a homicide, suicide or an accident.”

O’Donnell’s photo was released for the public to reference. The incident remains under investigation.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Sergeant Craig Hennes at 805-384-4744.

Anonymous tips can be provided to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at lacrimestoppers.org.

Eleven-year-old Athena Elling will graduate from Irvine Valley College this week and become the youngest to do it, breaking her own brother’s record.

Athena, whose family is from San Juan Capistrano, is set to graduate with an associate degree in liberal arts on Thursday.

When she does, she will be about six months younger than her brother Tycho Elling was when he set the school’s record last year.

Athena said it was because of her brother that she began taking classes at the college.

“So I chased my brother, who I am very competitive with, all the way into calculus because he really liked math,” she said.  

Math was not Athena’s favorite subject but she found plenty of other courses that captured her interest.

“I just started taking classes … There is so much variety and since I really liked acting I can take all the really fun classes to help me with that,” she said.

Athena’s father is a software engineer and her mother was a high school chemistry teacher who became a children’s author.

“I am both proud and a little bit in awe of my own children. That they’ve already developed so well,” Christina Chow said. “I wish I could say what the secret sauce is and I feel like I don’t know … I feel very blessed to have these children.”

Tycho is now a junior at UC Irvine but Athena is planning to remain at Irvine Valley College and complete a second associate degree. 

Deputies are searching for at least one gunman after a man was found dead in a Rowland Heights neighborhood in an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County overnight.

The shooting was reported around 10:20 p.m. Tuesday in the 2500 block of Doubletree Lane.

Deputies responding to the residence near the end of a cul de sac found a man suffering from a gunshot wound to his neck, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department stated in a news release.

The unidentified victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

The suspect, or suspects, fled the location in an unknown direction.

Authorities have not announced a motive for the shooting.

Andres Arevalo, who lives nearby, said that news of the shooting in his neighborhood surprised him.

“This is a little bit shocking … Kind of scary because I’ve got my kids here so we’re definitely going to be locking the doors,” Arevalo said.

Several surveillance cameras located in the neighborhood may help with the investigation.

Anyone with information was asked to call the Sheriff’s Department at 323-890-5500. Those who prefer to remain anonymous can contact Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.