Body was left at Manhattan Beach park recently, officials say
A body found wrapped in a pink plastic bag in a Manhattan Beach park was probably placed there within the last nine days, officials said Friday.
City workers moving piles of manure onto a truck discovered the partially decomposed body about 3:30 p.m. Thursday.
The manure pile was delivered to a corner of Polliwog Park near a baseball diamond nine days ago, said homicide Lt. Dave Coleman of the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department.
Investigators believe the body was dumped after the delivery was made.
“The manner in which the manure is delivered wouldn’t allow for that size of package to get through,” Coleman said, adding that the delivery was offloaded from a truck using a conveyor belt.
The crime scene is in a well-traveled portion of the park in the small, upscale beach town. Nearby are basketball courts, a swimming pool and a dog run.
So far, Coleman said, no one has reported seeing the body prior to Thursday’s discovery. Some workers had noticed the bag earlier Thursday morning, but did not investigate further, assuming it was trash. As they continued to work closer to the bag they noticed a stench.
The Los Angeles County coroner’s office said the body appears to belong to a young, Latino male.
Coleman said homicide detectives were continuing to investigate. The coroner’s office was not expected to perform an autopsy before Sunday.
“We don’t know that it’s a murder yet,” Coleman said. “Until the coroner determines the cause of death, we can’t draw any conclusions.”
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