On September 9, 1998, officers responded to a report of a traffic collision on Coast Boulevard in La Jolla. Upon arrival, they discovered the victim, Tilda Phipps, age 40, unresponsive and seated in the driver's seat of her red Ford Mustang that had crashed into the front yard of a residence. At first Phipps's injuries were believed to have been caused by the collision, however, a secondary examination revealed that Phipps had suffered a gunshot wound to the head. She died a short time later.

Witnesses at the scene reported hearing the sound of a gunshot just before Phipps's Mustang crashed.

Phipps was outgoing and made friends easily, and she was well-known in the La Jolla area for her good looks and flamboyant personality.