Police Identify Woman Found Dead in Arlandria, Mayor Says Homelessness Increasing

Alexandria Police have identified the homeless woman found dead in Arlandria on Tuesday as 49-year-old Isabelle Hernandez Saballa.

Police said Saballa, who went by the name “Dora”, was a known subject in the community and her death was not suspicious in nature.

“The Chief Medical Examiner’s Office will determine Ms. Saballa’s cause and manner of death, but at this time, it does not appear to be suspicious,” according to police.

Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson said that there has been an increase of homeless in the city during the pandemic, and ALXnow has reached out to the city for more information.

“We certainly mourn the loss of the resident and our thoughts are with her family,” Wilson told ALXnow. “We have seen a notable increase in homelessness during the pandemic, which has not only created challenges for our residents, but also for our ability to provide homeless prevention services. While I do not know all of the details, my understanding is that this resident had been offered services on a few occasions. We’ll try to see what we can learn from this incident to prevent future loss of life.”

The city’s Department of Community and Human Services is asking residents to help homeless people in the community. Temperatures are expected to continue to dip into freezing territory until next week.

As winter weather continues to be forecast in the region, DCHS urges residents to be proactive in supporting community members who are experiencing homelessness. Learn how you can help if you encounter a resident who looks in need of housing supports at https://t.co/jew6aavEG3.

— DCHS Alexandria, VA (@DCHS_AlexVA) February 17, 2021