Sheriff’s homicide investigators on Friday were trying to determine the circumstances behind the death of a woman whose body was found partially clothed near a draining culvert in Alhambra’s popular Almansor Park, officials said.
About 12:30 p.m. Alhambra police officers responded to the 600 block of Almansor Street after a woman was reported down near the back of an access road. Officers discovered an unconscious Asian woman along the flood control channel. She was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, who is assisting in the investigation.
Aerial video showed the woman’s partially clothed body near the Alhambra Golf Course and Alhambra wash.
The cause of death is unknown, but authorities do not suspect foul play is involved. The woman is believed to be in her 60s or 70s, Sheriff’s Lt. Derrick Alfred told KTLA.
“At this point, we don’t really see anything too suspicious on this, so we’re still in the very preliminary stage investigating this,” the lieutenant said. “There’s no obvious injury for us to go on to determine whether or not this is going to be criminal in nature.”
Alfred added that the woman may have been a transient who was sleeping in the area for the last few days. She was last seen alive on Thursday by at least one person who frequents the park.
“Last night it rained, she might have fallen victim to the elements,” Alfred speculated. “We’re just not sure at this time.”
Detectives were looking into the possibility the body was that of a woman reported missing in San Gabriel “in recent days,” according to Deputy James Nagao of the Sheriff’s Information Bureau. “At this time, the victim has not been positively identified and her name will not be released pending that identification by the coroner and notification to her family.”
Police contained the area near where the body was located and searched for clues, as people walked their dogs and played golf nearby.
No additional information has been released.
Anyone with information about the death can call the sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500.
