Body found in Angeles National Forest ID’d as 35-year-old Palmdale man
The body of a man discovered last week in the Angeles National Forest has been identified as 35-year-old Anthony James Willis of Palmdale. His death is being investigated as a homicide.
Sometime around 1 p.m. last Thursday detectives with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department responded to Angeles Forest Highway’s Mile Marker 18.87, where a passerby had reportedly discovered a body about 30 feet off the road, according to a sheriff’s department release. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
Reported early in the investigation by the sheriff’s department to be that of an elderly male, Willis’s body showed signs of upper body trauma, the release stated.
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Ed Winter, assistant chief of the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner, confirmed Willis’ identity Wednesday.
“An autopsy revealed sharp force injury,” Winter said, reporting the cause of death has been ruled a homicide.
Angeles Forest Highway runs through the San Gabriel Mountains and connects the Los Angeles basin to the Antelope Valley. It junctures with Angeles Crest Highway at that thoroughfare’s Mile Marker 33.80.
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Sara Cardine, sara.cardine@latimes.com
Twitter: @SaraCardine
