(L.A.) Joel Ravin, 37, Found Dead in a Van, Badly Burned

Case Number: 2023-03367

Los Angeles County is reporting the death of a Caucasian male that seemed to have occurred inside a vehicle.

The coroner’s office has identified the man as Joel Ravin of Reseda.

Manner of Death: Homicide

Cause of Death: Gunshot Wound of Torso

RIP JOEL RAVIN (August 26, 1985 – March 28, 2023)

The decedent’s body was found inside a burning van in Woodland Hills Tuesday.

Firefighters were sent to Mulholland Drive and Rosario Road at about 7:30 a.m. Tuesday on a report of a vehicle fire. They discovered a Chevrolet work van engulfed in flames. After extinguising the fire, they found a deceased male inside the van and notified police. The man was between the front seats, badly burned.

The van was registered to the decedent. Witnesses described a black sedan leaving the scene at the time the van caught fire. No arrests have been made to date.

* Still checking whether the age and birth date given by coroner’s office are correct. They’ve listed the deceased as having been born on November 30, 1992, making him 30 years old, while other agencies say he was 37.

California state and the County sheriff’s department have on file only a Joel Keith Ravin who was born on August 26, 1985.

The coroner-investigator handling this case is Ryan Benavidez-Parraz.

UPDATE: On April 6, Thursday morning, your favorite government agency finally corrected the birthdate from 11/30/1992 to 08/26/1985. The decedent is in fact Joel Keith Ravin born on August 26, 1985.

This man was in the news in late 2015 for being kidnapped, forced into a vehicle, driven to various locations and shot. He was the brother of Josh Ravin, formerly of the L.A. Dodgers. Randall Elmer Stinson, 32, was sentenced to 22 years in prison for the kidnapping and shooting.