One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Body Found in Car that Plunged into Ravine May Be that of Missing Palms Resident
Melvin Gelfand
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.Following the discovery of Lavau and his vehicle, authorities first had to rule out that the survivor had not been involved in an accident along with the second vehicle. However, the California Highway Patrol says the second vehicle crashed "long before" September 23, when Lavau's car went down the hillside.
The second vehicle belongs to the 88-year-old Gelfand, who was last seen on September 14th. His daughter "has said she is certain the body is that of her father," according to the Daily Breeze.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
