Body on Fire Discovered in Seal Beach

A man found burning in a park in an upscale neighborhood here early Sunday morning was apparently slain before being set afire, police said.

The victim, identified as Michael Vu, 23, was found burning about 6:30 a.m. in Aster Park in the College Park East neighborhood by a woman who lives across the street, Seal Beach Police Lt. Kenny Mollohan said.

The woman put out the fire with a garden hose and called 911, Mollohan said.

The half-clothed and severely burned body was still smoldering when police arrived, he said.

“You could tell it was a human, but barely; he was burned pretty badly,” said Mollohan, who remembers one similar incident in Seal Beach over the last 10 years.

“The witness said he looked like a mannequin burning when she found him,” Mollohan said.

He noted that the body had no identification.

An autopsy was performed Sunday, but it did not reveal the cause of death.

Police believe Vu was killed somewhere else, brought to the park, dumped and set on fire, possibly with gasoline.

“There was no sign of a struggle or anything like that,” Mollohan said. “If someone alive was burning, I don’t think they would die from the burns and just lay there.”

Witnesses said a dark Toyota pickup truck, raised from the ground with heavy-duty suspension and big tires, was seen leaving the area Sunday morning.

Seal Beach police have asked that anyone who saw anything near the park or who has any information regarding the incident call (310) 431-2541.