Remains Found in Angeles National Forest Those of Man Beaten to Death, Killer Sought

Remains discovered earlier this month in the Angeles National Forest have been identified as being those of a man authorities say was beaten to death, and the investigation has turned into a search for his killer.On January 9, a hiker found what was described as a "shallow grave," which was ultimately linked to the discovery of human remains ten days later found near mile marker 2.72 on Big Tujunga Canyon Road.

Those remains are those of 25-year-old Nicholas Carter of Glendale, reports L.A. Now. Carter went missing January 4 to 7, say authorities. An autopsy revealed Carter had been beaten to death.

"There is no suspect or apparent motive in the incident, and it remains under investigation," according to Lt. Mike Rosson with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau, reports the Glendale News-Press.

Investigators have a second crime involving remains found in the forest on their hands; a hiker found a woman's body on January 25 near East Fork Road. According to Crime Scene Blog, that victim was in her 20s or 30s, but does not match any current missing persons cases. Instead, authorities say that woman was killed at the site by someone wielding a "stabbing implement." There had been no attempt to bury the body. Efforts to establish her identity and details about her death remain ongoing.