Authorities were investigating the circumstances surrounding human remains found near a creek in Rancho Dominguez, an unincorporated area in the Harbor region of Los Angeles County, officials said Tuesday.
Deputies responded to the 20200 block of South Santa Fe Avenue around 2:45 p.m. after getting a call regarding “found human remains,” the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release.
They arrived and spoke with the callers, who had been working on the creek bed picking up trash when they came across the remains, Lt. Brandon Dean told KTLA.
The remains were in a “highly decomposed state,” he said.
Investigators were interviewing the informant, trying to locate other witnesses and looking for surveillance video from the area Tuesday, the lieutenant added.
A special team from the coroner’s office was scheduled to collect the remains Wednesday morning and to look for additional parts of the body, Dean said. Authorities would remain at the scene overnight.
“At this time we don’t have any cases from this area of missing people that would have us indicate this was somebody in particular we were looking for,” Dean said.
The identity and gender of the decedent could not yet be determined. But Dean said it appeared the remains belonged to an adult.
“Manner, cause of death and identity will be determined by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner at a later date,” the Sheriff’s Department said.
The investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the department’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. To provide information anonymously, call “Crime Stoppers” at 800-222-8477 or visit http://lacrimestoppers.org.