Tilden Park in Berkeley, California is seen in a July 18, 2021 file photo. Capitola police say the remains of Alice “Alyx” Kamakaokalani Herrmann were found in a rural part of the park after she disappeared in early December 2023.
Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE
Alice Herrmann's missing person case has turned into a murder investigation after her remains were found in Tilden Park.
Friends and family believe Alice “Alyx” Kamakaokalani Herrmann, 61, was last seen on December 3, 2023, in Santa Cruz, where she belonged to an outrigger canoe club. She attended a meeting with her club that day, and when she didn't respond to text messages or calls for some time, she was reported missing on December 12th. While searching for her, investigators in El Cerrito allegedly discovered her red 2007 Toyota Highlander parked in front of her boyfriend's house. Police identified that man as Theobald “Theo” Brooks Lengyel, 54, of El Cerrito.
On Tuesday, Capitola police announced that investigators had found human remains in a remote part of Tilden Park in Berkeley. DNA confirmation is still pending, but police believe it is Herrmann.
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Alice “Alyx” Kamakaokalani Herrmann, 61, was found dead in Tilden Park in Berkeley, Capitola police announced Jan. 2, 2024.
El Cerrito Police/Handout
“As the investigation progressed, it became clear that a crime was involved,” Capitola police wrote in a statement. Lengyel was their primary suspect, police continued, and jail records show Lengyel was taken into custody Tuesday in Santa Cruz County. He is being held without bail on a first-degree murder charge.
A LinkedIn profile for Theobald Lengyel only lists his jobs since 2000, all in the field of software development and programming. The only recommendation comes from “Theobald’s client” Mylo Stone. “I, Mylo Stone, hereby support Theo Lengyel and everything he has ever done. I know him quite well and can say without hesitation that the most terrible thing about him is his unfulfilled potential,” the recommendation reads. According to El Cerrito police, Mylo Stone is one of Lengyel's known aliases. A spokesperson for the department previously confirmed to SFGATE that they believe Lengyel is a former member of Mr. Bungle.
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In addition to being an avid athlete, Herrmann was also a Caltech-educated software engineer who worked at a number of Bay Area companies over the years. “She is very talented, loves music and is very active in nature,” brother Eric Herrmann told SFGATE on Dec. 19, “particularly in ocean outrigger canoeing, where she competed internationally.”
Capitola police declined to provide further information on the case because the investigation is ongoing.
“The diligent work of our investigators, in coordination with our law enforcement partners, led to the arrest of Theobald Lengyel in connection with the tragic murder of Alice Kamakaokalani,” Capitola police said in a statement. “We extend our deepest condolences to the victim’s family and friends at this difficult time.”