Police Say Body Was of Adult Woman
A decomposed body discovered Wednesday in a Chatsworth storm drain was that of a 30- to 45-year-old woman who was apparently dumped in the area after being killed elsewhere, authorities said Thursday.
The body was discovered by a bicyclist who had stopped near the storm drain to repair a flat tire, police said. The man called police after he noticed a foul odor coming from a manhole cover atop the storm drain, which is next to Santa Susana Pass Road about 1 1/2 miles west of Topanga Canyon Boulevard, authorities said.
An anthropologist who examined the body said the woman had been dead since December or January, Los Angeles Police Detective Sandy Palmer said. The woman had a 22-inch waist and was about 4 feet, 10 inches tall, with shoulder-length brown hair, Palmer said. She was wearing blue jeans and a multicolored sweater, police said.
Palmer said the woman’s dental records will be checked against dental records of people known to be missing.
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