Deputy: Missing California man commits suicide in Las Vegas

LOS ANGELES — A missing California man considered a person of interest in the slaying of his wife has committed suicide in Las Vegas, authorities said Friday.

The body of 59-year-old Dusan Klein of Santa Clarita was discovered by hikers Thursday on the city’s outskirts, Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy Mark Pope said.

Pope said in a news release that the cause of death has been ruled a suicide, but he did not provide details.

The Clark County coroner’s office identified Klein’s remains using dental records, he said.

Klein, a one-time travel agent, insurance salesman and trucking dispatcher, had been described as a person of interest in the death of his wife.

He had not been seen since the body of Renata Klein was found June 15 in Angeles National Forest. An autopsy revealed she was slain, but authorities have not released a cause of death.

Klein’s 1999 gold Jeep Cherokee was found abandoned Sunday in North Las Vegas.

The couple, who had been married about 30 years, are both natives of the Czech Republic.

Pope said their 6-year-old black-and-white cocker spaniel, Cindy, remains missing.

Renata Klein was last heard from on June 11 when she spoke to a friend by phone, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department reported.

Investigators were exploring reports that Dusan Klein was seen the following morning, June 12, walking his dog and then driving out of the neighborhood.

The couple had lost their home in an upper-middle class Santa Clarita neighborhood to foreclosure in March or April and were facing a court-ordered eviction around the time they disappeared, according to the department.

Officials said Klein hadn’t contacted any friends or relatives in the United States or his native Czech Republic and hadn’t accessed any bank accounts or used any credit cards.