Police have arrested one person after human remains were found in the backyard of a home in North Hills.
Authorities were searching a property in North Hills Tuesday in connection with a missing persons investigation that began in June, law enforcement sources told the NBC4 I-Team.
Police arrested 48-year-old Russell Robinson earlier Tuesday. He was booked for murder.
The search for human remains was in the 16200 block of Community Court in the San Fernando Valley. A Los Angeles Fire Department Urban Search and Rescue team was assisting police, the FBI and the coroner in the search.
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Police say the body belongs to 35-year-old Carlos DeLeon from Guatemala. DeLeon was reported missing since mid-June after family and friends had not seen or heard from him.
Aerial video of the scene showed a blue tarp covering a structure and police standing near the property's backyard pool. The location is in a residential area just north of Van Nuys Airport.
Newschopper 4 was overhead as detectives worked into the night, excavating a body buried in the backyard of the home.
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“Someone did this and thought they were going to get away with it,” Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton with LAPD said. “The Los Angeles Police Department never gives up on homicide investigations. Ever.”
Police said they can’t reveal details at the moment, but they know the motive for the murder.
“We feel comfortable that we have the right person in custody and that there is no further danger to the North Hills community here in Los Angeles,” Hamilton said.
The body was discovered Tuesday morning at the rear of the one acre property near the swimming pool. Police said they got a tip that a body might be buried there.
“This is not the best case scenario, but it provides that finality and that closure to the loved ones of this victim and have reported him missing,” Hamilton said.
The man arrested for the murder was linked to the property, but the residents at the property were not involved, according to police.
Robinson was arrested at another location and is being held on $2 million dollars bail.
