Christopher Dorner's mother was reportedly one of the many viewers glued to a screen Tuesday afternoon as the drama in Big Bear, Calif. unfolded live on national television broadcasts.
Nancy Dorner was thought to be spotted at La Capilla Mexican Restaurant in La Palma, Calif. at around 3:30 p.m. drinking white wine and eating chips and salsa as helicopter cameras captured a standoff between police and someone authorities believed to be her son, Christopher Dorner.
CBS2/KCAL9’s Michele Gile told her station that she spoke to someone matching Nancy Dorner's description, asking her and a female friend if they knew the fugitive. They said no, and Gile informed them that Christopher Dorner's mother lived somewhere nearby.
Joseph Munoz, the bartender, later told CBS2/KCAL9 that when Gile left, the woman believed to be Nancy Dorner asked him a lot of nervous questions.
"She started asking me questions, like if I knew (Dorner)…what I know about him…stuff like that. She was watching the TV, but she wasn’t really concerned about it," said Munoz. "She was busy talking to her friend, like it was just an everyday thing."
Gile later went to Nancy Dorner's home and saw the woman she spoke to at the bar pull into the driveway and enter the house. Neighbors identified the woman as Nancy Dorner, reports CBS2/KCAL9.
Nancy Dorner owns her home in La Palma and lives there with her daughter, according to property records. She also owns a vacant lot in Arrowbear, part of San Bernardino County. She and her daughter have been cooperating with authorities in the investigation against Christopher Dorner, reports the Los Angeles Daily News.
Police confirmed Wednesday that they found charred human remains inside the burned out cabin in Big Bear, but authorities have not positively identified the body, reports AP. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Police Department lifted the tactical alert and resumed normal patrol operations. Only about one dozen officers are still standing watch over the officers and families directly named in Christopher Dorner's alleged manifesto, down from 50.
Photos of the hunt for Christopher Dorner:
Christopher Dorner Manhunt
WATCH:
Live updates on the hunt for Christopher Dorner: