A woman with a world-record collection of shoes has been found dead in her swimming pool.

Authorities say they went to the home of Darlene Flynn, 58, in Riverside, California, after a report of a man and a woman yelling.

The Guinness World Record holder, who had more than 15,000 shoes, was found in her backyard pool. She had been beaten with a baseball bat, prosecutors said. It was unclear how long she had been dead.

When police arrived, they saw a shirtless man running away from the property before they found Ms Flynn's body.

Her 29-year-old boyfriend Justin Charles Smith was arrested later that day and charged, according to the Riverside Press-Enterprise. He did not enter a plea.

Friends say the relationship was volatile. Small claims court records show Ms Flynn alleged Smith owed her nearly 10,000 dollars.