LOS ANGELES — Investigators are trying to figure out how a trash can that was found with a woman’s body inside was brought to a neighborhood earlier this week in Sunland, near Los Angeles.
Residents in Sunland called the Los Angeles Police Department about an odd odor in the area. On Tuesday around 10:30 a.m., officers went to investigate and found a body decomposing inside a trash can that had its lid sealed closed, according to KTLA.
“There was, like, some sort of zip ties that were on the trash bin as well,” said LAPD Detective Eduardo Serrano, according to KABC.
“We don’t understand what exactly happened yet, but just the fact that a body was discarded in the street, in a trash bin, it’s very saddening. That’s no way for a person to discover that their loved one was left in that manner,” he said, according to KNBC.
Investigators confirmed that the body appeared to be a woman in her 30s, KTLA reported.
There did not appear to be any signs of trauma. The medical examiner will be working on determining the woman’s exact age, her identity and her cause of death, KABC reported.
It’s unclear how long the body had been inside the trash can, according to the news outlet. The body was found inside a Burton snowboarding bag.
“I went up to see what it was and that’s when I noticed the smell first when I got close to it,” the homeowner, William Elliott told KABC. “And then I went to pick it up right, because it was tipped over on its front, and I could feel something like sloshing around like liquid. It was kind of heavy and I thought, ‘Oh, there’s a dead animal in here or something like that.’”
Elliott said he moved the trash can down the street and contacted law enforcement.
According to KNBC, Elliott said someone dumped the trash can on his property. Investigators are trying to figure out if the trash can was brought to the neighborhood.
No arrests have been announced, KTTV reported.
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