Search Ends for Body Parts in Hollywood Hills, Nearby Apartment Searched

They believe the victim was murdered elsewhere

Investigators came to a Hollywood apartment with a search warrant and left with evidence that could all be connected to the severed head found near the Hollywood sign.  There are reports that one person was questioned about the case.

The apartment complex is just south of the Bronson Canyon Park area where the body parts were found. A Honda Civic was towed from the complex's underground garage. 

Early Thursday, investigators wrapped up their search for body part in the Hollywood Hills where a human head was discovered Tuesday afternoon.

Hands and feet were found during Wednesday's search along the hiking trail in Bronson Canyon Park, just below the Hollywood sign.

Los Angeles police brought out a field team on Thursday that included officers, criminalists, search and rescue specialists and even police cadets in one of the largest searches in recent memory. But the grid search of the seven-acre park failed to turn up any more remains in the area where the severed head of a middle-aged man was found by a hiker’s dogs.

The human head was found at about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday after the hikers' dogs began playing with a plastic bag they found just off the hiking trail.

The body parts are being examined by the coroner's office to determine the victim's identity.

"We've got to see if we can get any prints from the hand,'' said Coroner's Assistant Chief Ed Winter. "If we get any prints, then the LAPD can go knocking on doors.''

Police believe the victim was killed elsewhere and the body parts were buried or hidden to deter identification.

“They may have been disturbed by animals, but initially they were left off trail and not intended to be found,” said Commander Andrew Smith.

By early afternoon on Thursday, police concluded that major portions of the remains – the torso, the arms and the legs – were not in the park.

Authorities admitted it will not be easy to identify the victim quickly and this is the one thing they need the most.

Getting fingerprints from the severed hands will involve rehydrating the digits and this will take several days.

Follow NBCLA for the latest LA news, events and entertainment: Twitter: @NBCLA // Facebook: NBCLA

Contact Us