Several people have been detained after multiple search warrants were served Thursday morning in connection to the homicides of two female teens found dead in a popular Montecito Heights park last month, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
The bodies of Briana Nicole Gallegos, 17, and Gabriela Calzada, 19, were discovered on Oct. 28 near a hiking trail in Ernest E. Debs Regional Park.
LAPD Sgt. Michael Morrisseau confirmed the search warrants were related to the homicide investigation.
A police official in the area where one search warrant was served said a male juvenile was detained in connection with the investigation, but would not confirm whether it was directly related to the deaths of the female teens.
“The search warrant was for evidence, and the search warrant can also include DNA swabbing,” LAPD Lt. Sam Arase said, declining to elaborate beyond that.
“No arrest warrants were issued for this location,” he added.
Search warrants were also issued at multiple locations in connection with the ongoing investigation, according to Arase. Multiple LAPD teams were involved.
LAPD Cmdr. Andrew Smith later stated that several people were detained and being questioned. He emphasized none of them were considered suspects or persons of interest, and that they were people who possibly information related to the case.
Aerial video from Sky5 showed a large police presence over a Montecito Heights home for an extended period of time on Thursday morning. The police activity started around 5:30 a.m.
Authorities have still not determined a cause of death for either victim, but both bodies showed evidence of blunt force trauma. A homicide investigation was ongoing, police said earlier.
The women were found fully clothed and there were no signs that they were sexually assaulted, police at the scene said the day of the grim discovery. Their bodies appeared to have been found in a brushy area a few dozen feet from a trail in the sprawling park, aerial video showed.
No arrests have been made in the case.
KTLA’s Jennifer Thang contributed to this story.