ANAHEIM : Charred Body Is Identified

A woman whose charred body was found in the back of a stolen car in Carson last week has been identified as an Anaheim resident, investigators said Thursday.

The body of Kelly Ann Gordan, 26, was found late Oct. 4 in the trunk of a car abandoned near an industrial area of Rancho Dominguez, police said.

The late-model Cadillac had been reported stolen from the owner’s residence in Anaheim about three hours before it was discovered in flames in Carson by a passing motorist, police said. The car owner is not connected with the crime, Davis said.

Detectives believe Gordan burned to death after she was trapped in the trunk where her body was set ablaze, said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Det. Steve Davis. Investigators said they have few leads on the killing other than that it occurred in Carson.

Police identified the victim as Gordan through her fingerprints and a tattoo of a rose and “Kelly” on the back of her left shoulder. Most of her body was burned except for her palms and backside because she was lying on her back, Davis said.