A woman's body was found "entombed" in a cooler inside a stolen car in Whittier Sunday, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said.
"It's frightening, of course," said Josephine Madrid, a neighbor who lives nearby.
Deputies went to the 8600 block of Bradwell Avenue in unincorporated Whittier County around 1 p.m. to investigate an abandoned car.
A neighbor called 911 after noticing a smell coming from the car.
Arriving deputies found the red 1991 Toyota Celica hatchback.
The car was stolen before the suspected murder, deputies said.
They said they smelled a very strong odor of a decomposing body.
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When they checked the car, they found the female Hispanic victim, about 20 to 25 years old, in the rear cargo area "entombed in a large container," which was later determined to be a cooler.
"We’ll have the coroner take the vehicle intact to the coroner’s office, and remove the body systematically and figure out what happened," Lt. David Coleman said.
The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner was working to determine the cause of death.
It was unclear how long the car had been there.
The area is right on the border of Whittier and Santa Fe Springs.
Neighbors told NBC4 that cars often get ditched along the isolated road.
"It’s been happening for at least the past year and it’s gotten progressively worse where we’re afraid to go down there," Madrid said. "It’s dark and secluded.”
Anyone who might have information is encouraged to call the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500.
