(L.A.) Donald Rentz, 37, Died in a Hospital
Case Number: 2025-10822
Los Angeles County is reporting the death of a 37-year-old White/Caucasian male that occurred in a hospital.
The coroner’s office identified the man as Donald Rentz.
Manner of Death: Homicide
Cause of Death A: Anoxic Encephalopathy
Cause of Death B: Neck Compression
RIP DONALD JAMES RENTZ III (March 15, 1988 – July 4, 2025)
Formal pronouncement of death was made on Friday.
The decedent had apparently been strangled on the corner of Wilshire and Manhattan in Koreatown on June 30, Monday. He was picked up by an ambulance on 6th & Western, a block east of the original assault, and taken to Cedars-Sinai.
It looks like he had requested a restraining order against an individual and was granted a continuance on the R.O. about a month before he was killed. He previously posted about being a victim of identity theft after having been hacked, apparently some time in February; he filed a police report on April 10.
The decedent’s brother posted on Facebook about the circumstances.
There is an active and on-going LAPD police investigation. We are in the process of immense grieving and are weeding through a lot of conflicting information from the hospital, local Los Angeles police stations, and detectives assigned to DJ’s case.
We were informed by the assigned detective, Detective Martinez, that DJ was picked up by ambulance on 6/30/25 at the 600 block of Western Ave in Koreatown in Los Angeles after suffering a cardiac arrest following “strangulation and assault by a bystander.”
A separate police officer informed us that the assault occurred at the intersection of Wilshire Blvd and S Manhattan Place in Los Angeles.
We believe that the assault occurred at 2 PM on Monday, 6/30.
Hospital medical staff at Cedar-Sinai Hospital in LA informed us that there is video footage of DJ’s assault, but the detective and police have provided no details of the video or what happened to DJ.
A family member had access to DJ’s shared phone location. The family member has evidence that DJ’s last known location was Cedar Sinai Hospital on 6/30. The family member was worried about DJ’s safety and called Cedar Sinai Hospital multiple times on 6/30 and 7/1 and asked hospital staff whether or not there was a John Doe or anyone matching DJ’s physical description at their hospital. The family member was informed repeatedly that no one matching DJ’s description was at Cedar Sinai Hospital.
DJ arrived to Cedar-Sinai Hospital in LA in critical condition on Monday, 6/30. DJ was marked as a John Doe on Monday 6/30.
We were notified two days later on Wednesday, 7/2, by the Social Worker at Cedar Sinai Hospital that DJ was in critical condition. My Mom and sister were both documented as emergency contacts at the hospital from a previous hospital stay. We were advised to come to the hospital as quickly as possible because he did not have much time left. We asked whether or not DJ had any belongings on him, and we discovered that he had his wallet with his Michigan license / ID and three police reports that were on his person when he arrived at the hospital. Despite his last known location being the hospital, his phone has not been recovered.
GoFundMe: gofundme.com/f/help-lay-don-dj-to-rest-with-love-and-dignity
D.J. is survived by his loving mother, Tammy Rentz; his sister, Alexandra Rentz (Hope); and his brother, Maxwell Rentz. He also leaves behind many aunts, uncles, cousins, and close friends who will cherish his memory always.
A memorial service will be held on:
Saturday, August 9 , 2025
Trinity Lutheran Church
38900 Harper Ave, Clinton Twp, MI
10:00–11:00 AM EDT – Gathering in the Narthex
11:00 AM–12:00 PM EDT – Funeral Service
Don Rentz was from Grosse Pointe, Michigan, and had been living in West Hollywood.