IRVINE – A person in police custody Tuesday has been identified as a possible suspect in the death of an Irvine stay-at-home dad who was killed last week near the Los Olivos neighborhood.

Irvine police released a short online video Tuesday morning showing some details about Sidney Siemensma’s Jan. 19 homicide.

“He knew his assailant, and this was not a random attack on a stranger,” police Lt. Bill Whalen said in the video.

“Following the homicide, a person-of-interest was contacted. That person was arrested by Irvine police for unrelated charges and remains in jail.”

Police refused to identity the person or say what crimes he or she was arrested on suspicion of committing, and officials will not do so during the homicide investigation, said Farrah Emami, spokeswoman for the Irvine Police Department.

The news of the person taken into custody didn’t give Cindy Siemensma, the victim’s wife, any more clues on Tuesday morning.

“It could have been anyone,” she said in a phone conversation. “He rode with people sometimes but also with people he didn’t know.”

She said her husband would have talked to anyone who approached him because he was friendly to everyone.

“If someone was out there and talked to him, he would have talked to them, too,” she said.

The investigation spurred questions about the safety of the area. Police maintain the community near the crime scene is not in danger.

“We know that members of our community want information about this case; as we continue to investigate there are some details we won’t be able to share. The reason is to make sure that any statements from witnesses or other people with information in this case are pure and not tainted by what they read on social media or see in the news,” Whalen said on the video.

However, Siemensma said she is uneasy about the police department ensuring the public’s safety.

“This person is just a person-of-interest, not a suspect,” she said. “How can they say everyone is safe if they don’t have someone under arrest for committing this crime?”

Sidney Siemensma was found around 7 a.m. Jan. 19 dead on the San Diego Creek Trail behind the Los Olivos apartment community. His body was seen by drivers on I-405 near the Irvine Center Drive exit before police covered him.

Since her husband’s passing, Cindy Siemensma and her children have created a memorial with flowers and photos at the scene.

“My children miss him,” she said. “They had their dad every day of their lives.”

Siemensma hopes anyone with information about the crime will go to the police to help with the investigation.

The development that a person is in police custody was little consolation to the grieving wife.

“I will feel better when the person is convicted and put away, and they can’t hurt or kill anyone else,” she said. “No family should have to go through this.”

Contact the writer: 714-796-7802 or aduranty@ocregister.com