Responding to information that a body was buried in the yard of a Carson residence, investigators Thursday failed to find human remains outside, but inside the house did recover what was described as "biological evidence," according to the Los Angeles Sheriff's Homicide Bureau.
"At this point, we are still conducting interviews that could possibly lead us in a new direction," said Homicide Lt. Joe Mendoza. "In addition, we're going to test the biological evidence to see if it leads us to a person and if we can identify that person, and see if they are dead or alive."
The cacaver dog alerted both inside and in the yard, and the scenario that a body may have been moved to another location is among the possibilities that investigators are considering, Mendoza said.
The investigation was being conducted just north of Carson Street in the 21600 block of Prospect Avenue, at the very same property where two months ago deputies had arrested a suspect in the June 10 shooting death of Cindy Ambriz, 19, as she was walking on the Carson Street sidewalk.
During the course of that investigation, Sheriff's personnel encountered a juvenile who provided information that a body was buried in the yard, Mendoza said. Investigators obtained a search warrant. During the day, the juvenile--now in protective care--was brought to the location to provide assistance.
Apart from how the informant was encountered, Mendoza said there does not appear to be a connection between the two investigations.
As it is, the suspect arrested for the June homicide was not charged in connection with it, according to court records, but in July was convicted on previous charges including vandalism, and has remained in custody.
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That suspect, Alexander Espino, 19, was not living at the Prospect Avenue house, but occasionally visited, according to what resident Summer Vasquez told NBC4News in June.
Vasquez no longer lives at the house. Neighbors said they had not seen the tenants for a week or more. Mendoza said it his understanding they had left during eviction proceedings.
Investigators were trying to reach the previous residents to determine if they have any information about a possible body, or what else may have caused the cadaver dog to alert.
There is no guarantee DNA analysis will provide the identity of the source of the biological evidence, particularly if that person's DNA profile is not in the database.
Nyree Arabian contributed to this report.
