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Body Found in Rubble May Be Linked to Riots : Death toll: Demolition crew finds man’s charred remains in a store that burned the first night of the unrest.

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TIMES STAFF WRITER

More than three months after the end of the Los Angeles riots, a demolition crew working inside the burned hulk of a variety store Wednesday stumbled upon the charred and decomposed remains of a man who authorities believe is yet another victim of the upheaval.

The body was discovered at 8:30 a.m. inside a J.J. Newberry store on Western Avenue that was burned by looters on the first night of the riots, authorities said. So far, the remains have been identified only as those of an adult male.

The discovery came a day after the Los Angeles County coroner’s office officially lowered the riot death toll from 60 to 51 after a review of case files showed that some deaths were unrelated to the unrest.

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Coroner’s spokesman Bob Dambacher said it will probably take another week to determine whether the latest discovery belongs on the death list. But he said: “It’s a very, very good possibility this is going to be riot-related.”

Los Angeles Police Detective Don Tabak said the body was found by a demolition worker who noticed a foul smell in one corner of the wrecked store. Workers had been in the area since Monday but had not started on the Newberry building until Wednesday.

As the workman sifted through a thick layer of rubble, he caught a glimpse of a human skull, according to Tabak. Surrounding the body were the twisted remains of steel clothing racks.

Tabak said investigators have long expected the discovery of more victims of the riots as debris and rubble is cleared.

“There’s so much burned in this city,” he said. “I wouldn’t be surprised at all if we find more bodies. If they go through carefully, they may even find something else in this building.”

The official death toll from the riots has fluctuated over the past 3 1/2 months as new victims have been added to the list and others subtracted.

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On May 20, the body of 20-year-old Juan Salgado was found inside a burned clothing store on South Main Street, where he was last seen looting.

Wilson Alvarez, 40, became the most recent addition to the death list after dying at County-USC Medical Center on May 23 of head injuries he sustained in a beating by looters during the riots.

Only one victim of the riots remains unidentified--a man whose charred body was found May 2 inside a Pep Boys store on South Vermont Avenue.

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