Authorities have called off the search for more body parts in the rugged Hollywood Hills terrain where so far a head, two feet, and two hands have been discovered as part of an ongoing homicide investigation.
Search Called Off For Body Parts in Hollywood Hills, No Arrests Made, But Identity of Victim Established
Second Severed Hand Found in Hollywood Hills, Prints May Help Determine Victim's Identity
A second severed human hand was found this afternoon by authorities combing the hiking trails and surrounding terrain in the Hollywood Hills near where a human head was discovered Tuesday afternoon.
Severed Head Found in Hollywood Hills Belongs to a Man Slain Recently, Search for More Remains Continues [UPDATED]
The search is underway again today for additional human remains belonging to an apparent homicide victim whose head was discovered Tuesday afternoon in the Hollywood Hills. The head was found by two women walking with several dogs in the hills near the 3200 block of Canyon Drive.
Woman Found Bludgeoned to Death in MacArthur Park Hotel Room
The body of a woman who had apparently been bludgeoned to death was discovered just after midnight today by a cleaning crew inside a rented room at the Olympic Hotel in the MacArthur Park area. The woman appears to be about 40 years old.
Coroner: Thousand Oaks High QB Died of Heroin Overdose
Griffen Kramer, the 18-year-old Thousand Oaks High School quarterback found dead in October at a buddy's house, died of a heroin overdose, according to toxicology reports released by the L.A. County coroner's office.
Just How Heavy Was Heavy D When He Died?
Rap legend Heavy D "weighed 344 pounds at the time of his death yesterday," TMZ is reporting. "Officials recorded Heavy's height and weight as part of their investigation into his sudden and unexpected passing," they explain.
Body Found in Car that Plunged into Ravine May Be that of Missing Palms Resident
Last week, the family of 67-year-old David Lavau located their loved one alive and surviving on bugs and leaves at the base of a ravine in Castaic. His vehicle had plunged off a mountain road a week earlier, and was located near a second vehicle that contained the body of a deceased male. Now authorities are hoping to identify the body, and that man's relatives believe he is missing Palms resident Melvin Gelfand.
Autopsy Confirms Body Found in Seal Beach is Missing Swimmer
A body found off Seal Beach last week has been confirmed as being that of missing swimmer Joe Wayne Benford of Long Beach, reports the OC Register. Benford, 24, had been missing for two weeks after he disappeared in rough waters while body-boarding with friends.
Never Too Late: Woman Murdered in 1946 Identified
It's never too late to solve a murder mystery, and in the case of a woman who was killed 65 years ago and whose remains were left in a California desert, investigators have finally found answers. CBS News reports that bones found in the Mojave Desert match the DNA of a family member of Betty Walraven, who was killed in 1946.
Autopsy: Teens Found Dead in Vacant Apartment Died of Drug ODs
Remember those two teens found dead inside a vacant Huntington Beach apartment in January? Found on scene was a variety of evidence indicating likely drug and alcohol use, including an empty bottle of Four Loko, the energy drink that has been banned in some states. Today the coroner has released a report indicating the teens died from drug overdoses, though alcohol played a role in one of the two's death, according to the OC Register.
Woman's Naked Body Dumped By Side of 5 Freeway in Storage Container
The naked body of a deceased woman was discovered late Monday night next to an off-ramp of the I-5 Freeway in Boyle Heights. The corpse, left in a plastic storage container, was likely dumped by her killer or killers, say the Los Angeles Police Department, according to LA Now. The body was found in the brush off the freeway at State Street and Cesar Chavez Avenue by a homeless person, who notified authorities.
Body Found on 10 Freeway Was Hit By at Least 20 Vehicles
The California Highway Patrol and the Los Angeles County Cornoner's office are working to piece together a troubling case this morning, after a dead body was discovered on the 10 Freeway, according to the LA Times. The body was first spotted "in the middle lanes of the 10 Freeway near Crenshaw Boulevard" at around 3:35 this morning, and reported to the CHP. While on the freeway, an estimated minimum of 20 vehicles struck the body and continued on, according to a live report on KTLA. Reportedly those drivers may have thought the body was debris.
8 Bones Found in Ravine Could Belong to Mitrice Richardson
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department personnel and officials from the coroner's office found eight small bones in a ravine in Malibu Canyon this weekend, and it is possible they are further remains of Mitrice Richardson, according to Malibu Patch. Richardson went missing in September 2009 after she was released from the Malibu Sheriff's station; she had been detained after not paying a restaurant bill.
Coroner Confirms: Man Butchered Mom, Left Parts in Freezer for a Week
Officials from the coroner's office have confirmed that 42-year-old Miralda Espinoza of Maywood "died of asphyxia and neck compression," reports CBS2. Her dismembered body was left stored in the freezer in the apartment she shared with her son, 19-year-old Moises Meraz-Espinoza. The body parts had been left there for about a week.
Mountain High Snowboarder Who Crashed and Died is ID'd
The San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner's office has released information about the identity of the snowboarder who crashed and died at Mountain High Dec. 27th, according to the Press-Enterprise. The deceased is Mihail Smetanin, a citizen of Moldova who had been living in Fullerton and was a beginning snowboarder. "He was trying to keep up with some friends down an advanced run called Headwall [...] when he lost control and slid into trees." The coroner reported earlier that Smetanian had not been wearing a helmet.
Snowboarder Who Crashed and Died Wasn't Wearing Helmet
The 24-year-old snowboarder who crashed and died while on the hills in Wrightwood yesterday "was not wearing a helmet at the time of his fatal accident," according to the Daily News. The coroner revealed today that the Fullerton man, whose name has not yet been released, was snowboarding at the Mountain High Resort Monday with an unprotected head.
Mitrice Richardson's Mother Wants FBI to Examine Case
Latice Sutton, the mother of CSU Fullerton student Mitrice Richardson, whose remains were found in August in Malibu Canyon after being missing for several months, is calling for the FBI to look at how the sheriff's deputies handled her daughter's case, according to the Daily News. Sutton is also pushing to have her daughter's body exhumed.
What Killed Babies Whose Skeletons Were Found in Steamer Trunk Will Remain an Unsolved Mystery
Since their mid-August discovery, investigators have been working to piece together what happened to the two infants whose skeletons were stowed in a steamer trunk left in the basement of a Westlake apartment building for nearly 70 years.
Autopsy Scheduled for Film Editor Who Died While Hiking; Extreme Heat Considered Possible Factor in Her Death
An autopsy is scheduled for today for Sally Menke, the 56-year-old award-winning film editor who died while hiking Monday on rugged terrain in Griffith Park.
Menke's body was found north of the 5500 block of Green Oak Drive, with her "loyal Labrador retriever" at her side, the LAPD explain in an emailed release.
Police ID Body from Last Week's Burning Car
Police today identified a 50-year-old man as the deceased person discovered inside a burning car under the 101 Freeway last week. But until the coroner's office receives the final toxicology report, the final cause of death for Russell Rathert of Van Nuys is listed as undetermined.
Coroner: Teen Died of Ecstasy OD at Electric Daisy Carnival
15-year-old Sasha Rodriguez died of an ecstasy overdose, came the official ruling from the Los Angeles County coroner's office yesterday, according to the AP.
The teenager had been at the Electric Daisy Carnival during the last weekend in June this summer when she collapsed amidst the crowd. When she fell, Rodriguez hit her head, and while her friends tried to shield her from being trampled, the crowd overwhelmed them.
Investigators Look for Clues in Case of Infant Skeletons Found in Basement
Items inside a trunk stashed in the basement of the Glen-Donald apartment building in the Westlake area are just some of the clues authorities are using to investigate the case of the two infant skeletons found Tuesday, reports LA Now.
Remains Found in Malibu Canyon Likely Those of a Woman
The families of three missing persons are anxiously awaiting word if the human remains found inside Malibu Canyon yesterday afternoon belong to their loved ones. The L.A. Coroner's office has yet to complete the autopsy, though LA Now is reporting that a source within law enforcement has indicated the remains are female.
Fired Employee Set Bondage Club Ablaze, Killing Owner Inside
A bondage club located near LAX was allegedly set afire yesterday, and firefighters found the charred remains of a man thought to be the business' owner inside.
Body Found Might Be That of Man Who Jumped Off Venice Pier
The body recovered this morning from the waters near Santa Monica is thought to be that of Brian Patrick Dunn of West Hollywood, the man who jumped from the Venice Pier early Monday morning, reports LA Now. A fisherman discovered the corpse and alerted the authorities, who brought the body to shore and turned it over to the LA County coroner's office. There was no ID on the body, however "based on circumstances" authorities suspect it is that of Dunn, 31, who jumped fully clothed and likely intoxicated from the Pier following 4th of July festivities.
Coroner: Haim Died of Natural Causes, Not Drug Overdose
The Los Angeles Coroner's Office released their report on the death of actor Corey Haim, and have determined the troubled onetime child star died of natural causes. Haim's death has been attributed to "a combination of pneumonia and respiratory and heart trouble, and not from an overdose of prescription drugs as suspected," according to On the Red Carpet. The drugs found in Haim's system were "not a factor in his death," notes the Washington Post, adding, that despite "low levels of both over-the-counter and prescription drugs and some marijuana in his body," his death was "natural."
Haim Died of Prescription Drug OD
Detectives investigating the early-morning death of former teen star Corey Haim reportedly "recovered prescription drugs from the home" the actor shared with his mother, according to the LA Times.
Coroner Releases Causes of Death for Both Brittany Murphy & Casey Johnson
The causes of death were diabetic ketoacidosis for Johnson & Johnson heiress Casey Johnson and pneumonia for actor Brittany Murphy, according to reports released by the Los Angeles County Coroner this morning. While Johnson's death, which occurred on January 5th, was listed as natural, Murphy's was a little more involved.
Coroner Says 2nd Skull from Angeles Nat'l Forest was Woman's
On Christmas Eve hikers making their way through the Angeles National Forest near mile marker 19.36 of the Angeles Forest Highway found a human skull, and alerted authorities, who then launched an investigation of the area. Searching through terrain recently ravaged by the Station Fire, deputies from the Crescenta Valley Sheriff's Station found a second skull just two days later.

