Remains Discovered at Castaic May Stem From 1977 Accident

Skull fragments and other bones discovered near the bottom of a 400-foot canyon north of Castaic appear to be those of an Iowa man who died about seven years ago when his pickup truck veered off a road in the Angeles National Forest, authorities said Sunday.

The remains found below the old California 99 and north of the Templin Highway by U.S. Forest Service firefighters Saturday afternoon were too decomposed to be identified as a man or a woman, California Highway Patrol investigators said. But they said clothing, including a man’s shirt found zipped inside a winter jacket, appear to be what the victim was wearing at the time of death. There was no identification in the vehicle, the CHP said.

An unloaded handgun, a rusty shotgun loaded with one round of ammunition and videotapes were also found near the wreckage of the pickup, which lost its camper shell about halfway down the steep canyon. The vehicle had an Iowa license plate with tags that expired seven years ago. The CHP said the condition of the remains suggests that the victim’s death occurred about that time.

The CHP said there is no evidence of foul play and is investigating the incident as a fatal car crash. A spokeswoman said missing-person reports were checked but a match could not immediately be made.

Randy Dzialo, a fire captain with the U.S. Forest Service, said he and a battalion chief were driving south on the Golden State Freeway when he noticed something in the adjacent canyon.

“I said, ‘Boy, that looks like a car,’ ” Dzialo said. “I just happened to notice it. It’s green in color so it blends in with the vegetation.”

The two hiked down through the thick brush and discovered pieces of a skull and teeth in the rocks and dirt near the camper shell before coming upon the wreckage of the 1977 pickup, which was demolished in the accident. Dzialo said he was not surprised that the accident site went unnoticed for seven years. “In this steep terrain and this type of vegetation,” he said, “if a vehicle goes into the brush, it blends in and gets overgrown.”

The area, creased with wide canyons covered with thick brush, is near a popular recreation area and campsite called Frenchmans Flat, where people hike, fish and camp, said Jan Graham of the U.S. Forest Service.

The remains have been turned over to the Los Angeles County coroner’s office, which is investigating the case.