Murder suspect on loose after Pomona woman burned to death

POMONA, Calif. -- Pomona police are searching for a murder suspect after a woman was burned to death on Christmas day.

The incident happened around 2 p.m. along the 1500 block of Cordova Street, where neighbors said the 41-year-old victim, later identified as Dawn Hensley of Pomona, was running from a home fully engulfed in flames.

She was rushed to the hospital where she succumbed to her severe burn injuries.

Police believe Hensley was involved in a domestic dispute and doused in gasoline by the suspect before she was lit on fire, possibly with a cigarette.

The suspect, believed to be Clarence Duwell Dear, 51, of Pomona, remained at large and was considered dangerous.

He is described as a black man, standing 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighing 180 pounds, with black and gray hair and brown eyes.

It is unclear as to whether or not the suspect fled the area on foot or in a vehicle.

Anyone with information was urged to contact Pomona police at 909-620-2085 or "Crime Stoppers" at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).