Dead Man Found Inside Car Trunk in Stanton; Homicide Detectives Investigating

A dead man’s body was found inside the trunk of a car in Stanton on Friday, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. Officers responded to the scene in the 12000 block of Leafwood Street where the car was parked shortly before 10 a.m., according to Stanton Police Lt. Nathan Wilson. Blood was seen on the exterior of the car, which also had a broken window, Wilson said. Homicide investigators were dispatched to the scene after the body was discovered. A neighborhood resident who did not want his identity disclosed told KTLA a security camera on his property captured two men abandoning the gray Lexus, then leaving the area in a light-colored van. They checked on the victim before they left, he said. “They opened up… the trunk and then they looked inside and they closed it and they went away,” according to the neighbor. A woman who lives in the area who only identified herself as Gina said she was walking her dog when she noticed the car. “He went to the curb, sniffing. He was ready to jump,” she said of her dog. She called 911 after realizing there was broken glass around the vehicle and blood dripping from one side of the car’s trunk, she said. Broken glass and blood could also be seen near some condominiums located a few blocks from the car, she said, speculating it was somehow connected to the dead body. Wilson said authorities are looking into who the vehicle is registered to and tracking down surveillance video from homes in the area to find out when the car was first parked there. Coroner’s officials were expected to arrive to the scene later Friday afternoon. Officials told KTLA a second scene nearby was also being investigated to determine if it’s connected to the man’s body being discovered. No other details have been released.