Bones found on Pasadena hillside are a young man’s, coroner says

Human bones found on a hillside in Pasadena in May are believed to be those of a young man, officials said.

The man was Latino, 18 to 25 years old and about 5 feet, 8 inches tall, said Ed Winter, a Los Angeles County coroner’s office spokesman.

A weapon was also recovered from the hillside near the 210 and 134 freeway interchange where the bones were spotted. Police will examine the weapon to determine its owner, Winter said.

More investigation may be able to determine the man’s identity and manner of death.

Investigators collected nearly all of the man’s skeletal remains, with a few small bones likely taken away by animals, Winter said.

Workers with the California Department of Transportation discovered the bones about 1 p.m. on May 22 as they were clearing brush along the freeway near San Rafael, according to Pasadena police.

The next day, coroner’s investigators excavated a hillside to look for additional bones.

It is unclear how long the bones were there, but an anthropology report may shed some light once it has been completed, Winter said.

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