Family Holds Body a Week Before Reporting Death
A man’s decomposing body remained in a Valinda house for a week before family members called paramedics Friday evening to report his death, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department officials said.
Sgt. Joe Dyer of the Industry sheriff’s station said the delay in reporting the May 18 death of Horm Kim Chhim, 50, was likely the result of a “communications gap” involving the dead man’s Cambodian family.
“It may have been for spiritual or religious reasons,” Dyer said. “Also, they may have been unsure of what they were supposed to do when someone died.”
No foul play is suspected in Chhim’s death, the exact cause of which has not been determined.
There have been no arrests, Dyer said, and no one has been accused of a crime.
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