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An explosion at a California medical building that killed the owner of a day spa and seriously injured two patrons is being investigated as a crime after officials found remnants of an explosive device inside the spa, officials said Wednesday. (May 16)

Media: Associated Press

ALISO VIEJO, Calif. (AP) — Federal and state authorities are investigating whether a Southern California woman killed in an explosion that ripped through the day spa that she owned was targeted in the crime.

Authorities declined to publicly say if they believed the victim was the target, but one official briefed on the investigation told The Associated Press the woman had been the intended recipient of an explosive package.

Remnants of a bomb were found inside the badly damaged spa where the powerful explosion Tuesday shook the city of Aliso Viejo, about 50 miles (80.5 kilometers) south of Los Angeles. The blast tore a corner off the building that houses medical offices. Two patrons were seriously injured.

"We do not believe this was an accident," said Paul Delacourt, special agent in charge of the FBI's field office in Los Angeles. "Although the damage was extensive, there are some components that we have located at the scene of the explosion that are inconsistent with what one might expect to find at this business."

  • Orange County first responders investigate the scene of an explosion in Aliso Viejo, Calif., on Tuesday, May 15, 2018. The blast involved a building under renovation but the cause was not immediately known, according to authorities. (Mindy Schauer/The Orange County Register/SCNG via AP) Photo: Mindy Schauer, AP / Orange County Register/SCNG
Photo: Mindy Schauer, AP
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Orange County first responders investigate the scene of an explosion in Aliso Viejo, Calif., on Tuesday, May 15, 2018. The blast involved a building under renovation but the cause was not immediately known, according to authorities. (Mindy Schauer/The Orange County Register/SCNG via AP) less
Orange County first responders investigate the scene of an explosion in Aliso Viejo, Calif., on Tuesday, May 15, 2018. The blast involved a building under renovation but the cause was not immediately known, ... more
Photo: Mindy Schauer, AP
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This image taken from cellphone video shows a building after a fatal explosion in Aliso Viejo, Calif., Tuesday, May 15, 2018. The cause of the blast is being investigated. (Raul Hernandez via AP)
This image taken from cellphone video shows a building after a fatal explosion in Aliso Viejo, Calif., Tuesday, May 15, 2018. The cause of the blast is being investigated. (Raul Hernandez via AP)
Photo: Raul Hernandez, AP
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Firefighters and sheriff's deputies escort children from Academy on the Hill pre-k school in Aliso Viejo, Calif., on Tuesday, May 15, 2018, after a fatal explosion nearby. The blast involved a building under renovation but the cause was not immediately known, according to authorities. (Mindy Schauer/The Orange County Register/SCNG via AP) less
Firefighters and sheriff's deputies escort children from Academy on the Hill pre-k school in Aliso Viejo, Calif., on Tuesday, May 15, 2018, after a fatal explosion nearby. The blast involved a building under ... more
Photo: Mindy Schauer, AP
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In this photo taken from video provided by KABC-TV, children are evacuated from a preschool across the street from a building that was rocked by an explosion in Aliso Viejo, Calif., Tuesday afternoon, May 15, 2018. None of these children were hurt. Authorities say one person is dead and several others have injuries. The cause of the blast is being investigated. (KABC-TV via AP) less
In this photo taken from video provided by KABC-TV, children are evacuated from a preschool across the street from a building that was rocked by an explosion in Aliso Viejo, Calif., Tuesday afternoon, May 15, ... more
Photo: AP
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This photo taken from video provided by KABC-TV shows a building after an explosion rocked it in Aliso Viejo, Calif., Tuesday afternoon, May 15, 2018. Authorities say one person is dead and several others have injuries. The cause of the blast is being investigated. The injured were taken to a hospital. (KABC-TV via AP) less
This photo taken from video provided by KABC-TV shows a building after an explosion rocked it in Aliso Viejo, Calif., Tuesday afternoon, May 15, 2018. Authorities say one person is dead and several others have ... more
Photo: AP
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The home of a homicide victim, Ildiko Krajnyak, is seen after it was searched by police overnight in Trabuco Canyon, Calif., Wednesday, May 16, 2018. Sheriff's officials have officially identified the woman who died in yesterday's explosion in Aliso Viejo, Calif., as Krajnyak, 40, a licensed cosmetologist and spa owner. A deadly explosion that ripped through Krajnyak's Southern California day spa was a crime, authorities said Wednesday as they tried to figure out why someone would target a business that provided facials, waxing and wrinkle treatments. less
The home of a homicide victim, Ildiko Krajnyak, is seen after it was searched by police overnight in Trabuco Canyon, Calif., Wednesday, May 16, 2018. Sheriff's officials have officially identified the woman who ... more
Photo: Amanda Lee Myers, AP
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Orange County Undersheriff Don Barnes speaks to the media on Wednesday, May 16, 2018, in Santa Ana, Calif., regarding a fatal explosion at an Aliso Viejo medical building the previous day. (Paul Bersebach/The Orange County Register via AP) less
Orange County Undersheriff Don Barnes speaks to the media on Wednesday, May 16, 2018, in Santa Ana, Calif., regarding a fatal explosion at an Aliso Viejo medical building the previous day. (Paul Bersebach/The ... more
Photo: Paul Bersebach, AP
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Paul Delacourt, assistant director in charge of the Los Angeles office of the FBI, speaks to the media on Wednesday, May 16, 2018, at Orange County Sheriff's headquarters in Santa Ana, Calif., regarding an explosion at an Aliso Viejo medical building the previous day. The explosion killed one person and injured three. (Paul Bersebach/The Orange County Register via AP) less
Paul Delacourt, assistant director in charge of the Los Angeles office of the FBI, speaks to the media on Wednesday, May 16, 2018, at Orange County Sheriff's headquarters in Santa Ana, Calif., regarding an ... more
Photo: Paul Bersebach, AP
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Orange County Undersheriff Don Barnes speaks to the media on Wednesday, May 16, 2018, at Orange County Sheriff's headquarters in Santa Ana, Calif., regarding a fatal explosion at an Aliso Viejo medical building the previous day. (Paul Bersebach/The Orange County Register via AP) less
Orange County Undersheriff Don Barnes speaks to the media on Wednesday, May 16, 2018, at Orange County Sheriff's headquarters in Santa Ana, Calif., regarding a fatal explosion at an Aliso Viejo medical building ... more
Photo: Paul Bersebach, AP
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Investigators were working to determine a motive and figure out exactly how the device got to the spa, Delacourt said. No arrests were made.

The blast is believed to have been caused by a package sent to the spa, two officials told the AP. The spa owner was believed to be the target, one official said.

The officials were briefed on the investigation but not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.

Formal identification of the body was continuing but authorities believe it was Ildiko Krajnyak (IL-di-koh KRY-nyak), a licensed cosmetologist, who owned the spa. Friends set up a fundraising campaign to cover her funeral costs and fly her son home from Seattle, where he attends college.

Krajnyak, 48, was originally from Hungary and had just visited there, according to her Facebook page and a neighbor. Her Facebook page showed photos from her home country, including a selfie outside the clinic where she trained to become an aesthetician 30 years ago.

Her Orange County business offered services such as facials, waxing and wrinkle treatments.

A voicemail recording at her business said the spa was closed through Monday and would reopen Tuesday, the day of the blast.

Irene White, a friend, read a statement Wednesday on behalf of Krajnyak's family, calling her death "a complete shock." The family asked for privacy as they mourn "a mother, a wife, a daughter and a friend." She said the family is cooperating with investigators.

The two customers injured underwent surgery Wednesday and were expected to survive. A third victim was treated for smoke inhalation.

Search warrants were served at the business and two other locations, including the Long Beach house of a man whose Facebook page features several photos with Krajnyak in Mexico, Canada and Portugal.

They also searched Krajnyak's house in Trabuco Canyon.

A neighbor there who would only give her first name as Tiffany said Krajnyak lived there with her estranged husband and mother, whom she cared for.

The couple, although separated, continued to live under the same roof, the neighbor said. Court records show they had filed jointly for bankruptcy in 2014 and the case was dismissed and closed Monday.

Attorney Andrew Bisom, who represented Krajnyak and Ronilo Vestil during the Chapter 13 bankruptcy proceedings, said they were far along on their mandated payment plan but hadn't completed it.

Bisom did not know them well and said there was nothing that stood out about them or their case.

The two-story building where the explosion had blown siding off the walls and shattered windows was closed Wednesday as bomb technicians and investigators from the Orange County Sheriff's Department, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives sifted through debris.

Pieces of the explosive device recovered were sent to the FBI's laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, to be analyzed, Delacourt said.

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Balsamo reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press journalists Amy Taxin in Orange, Brian Melley, Christopher Weber and John Antczak in Los Angeles and researcher Rhonda Shafner in New York contributed to this report.