Detectives investigating the death of a 96-year-old California woman nearly two years ago have uncovered that she was the victim of an elaborate murder-for-hire and reverse-mortgage scam aimed at gaining control of her home, authorities revealed on Thursday. Four individuals have now been arrested in connection with the case.

Violet Evelyn Alberts was discovered dead in her bed by her caretaker at her Montecito residence on May 27, 2022, with a shattered window in her home. Subsequent autopsy results revealed that she died from asphyxiation, and her death was ruled a homicide, according to Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown.

The case was shrouded in mystery as investigators unraveled “a tangled, evil web of financial exploitation against the victim,” Brown stated during a news conference on Thursday.

The scheme began when the financially distressed widow was approached by 48-year-old Pauline Macareno, who offered to arrange a reverse mortgage on her valuable property, Brown explained. However, Macareno orchestrated a series of fraudulent transactions, including document forgery and the establishment of fraudulent entities, with the ultimate goal of illegally seizing control of Alberts’ property, the sheriff’s office revealed. Macareno emerged as the “central figure in the manipulation and deceitful targeting” of Alberts, Brown added.

Further investigation uncovered evidence that Alberts had become the target of a murder-for-hire plot, the sheriff disclosed.

“In the eyes of Pauline Macareno, Miss Alberts was living too long,” Brown stated, suggesting that hastening Alberts’ death was likely the motivation behind the murder.

Just three days before Alberts was found dead, two men, 41-year-old Ricardo MartinDelCampo and 33-year-old Henry Rostomyan, conducted “a scouting trip” to her home, according to the sheriff’s office.

“This pivotal discovery shed light on the premeditated nature of the crime, underscoring the perpetrators’ calculated efforts to survey Alberts’ home and to plan their vicious and reprehensible actions,” Brown remarked.

Rostomyan was arrested last month, while MartinDelCampo was apprehended on March 5. Both individuals are currently being held at the Santa Barbara County Jail without bail on charges of murder and conspiracy to murder Alberts. Additionally, 58-year-old Harry Basmadjian was arrested in January for his alleged involvement in the conspiracy while already in federal custody in Los Angeles on an unrelated charge, according to a sheriff’s news release.

Macareno was arrested in 2022 and subsequently sentenced to six years in state prison for fraud related to Alberts’ case, according to the sheriff’s office. Brown mentioned that she now also faces pending additional charges, although he did not provide further details on the nature of these charges.

CNN has not been able to ascertain whether any of the suspects have legal representation. CNN has reached out to the Santa Barbara County Public Defender’s Office for further information.

Identification of a suspect’s vehicle, a review of surveillance camera footage, and forensic analysis of the crime scene were pivotal in leading investigators to the suspects, Brown stated. The investigation remains ongoing, authorities confirmed on Thursday.