Body Found Buried in Yard; 4 Held

Los Angeles County sheriff’s homicide detectives arrested four residents of a Lawndale home on suspicion of murder Friday after unearthing the body of another resident, an 83-year-old man, sealed in a garbage bag and buried five feet deep in the back yard.

Acting on tip from an informant, deputies served a search warrant at a house at 4509 Rosecrans Ave. about 6 a.m. and took two men and two women who lived there into custody for questioning. Deputies then began digging throughout the back yard, searching for the remains of Floyd Howell, who authorities had been told was buried in a homemade grave.

Held without bail at the Lennox substation Friday evening were John Roger Cash, 49; James Lee Hagen, 45; Michelle Renee Black, 27, and Lisa Marie Stegmann, 32. Neighbors said the four were staying in the small home with Howell, who had lived there for more than two decades.

Deputies said Howell had been missing for three to four weeks. Neighbors in the mostly industrial area described him as a longtime resident who was frail and was frequently seen shuffling along the busy commercial street.

“I saw them (deputies) pull out shovels and I said, ‘Gee, what’s going on?’ ” said an employee of an equipment rental store next door to the house. “The old man never seemed to hurt anybody. I never heard any fights. There was no indication that somebody would dig a hole and bury him.”

After digging up much of the yard, deputies found the body sealed in a large plastic trash bag five feet down in a narrow passageway behind the garage. The remains were taken to the coroner’s office, where an autopsy will be conducted.

“This was not a traditional burial,” said Sheriff’s Homicide Lt. Bill Christiansen. “This was a hidden grave. (Someone) buried this individual with the express purpose that no one would determine that he died.”

Investigators said they know of no motive for the crime.