Police say a severed head that turned up along a popular Hollywood Hills hiking trail may not have been there for long
The severed head of a man was discovered inside a bag Tuesday afternoon by two female dogwalkers on a popular trail in the hills below the Hollywood sign.
The walkers were hiking with about nine dogs in the 3200 block of Canyon Drive at about 3:45 p.m., when two of the dogs began playing with a bag not far off the trail, said LAPD Sgt. Mitzi Fierro. At some point, the human head came free from the wrapping.
A race and exact age remains unknown, but the "head appears to be rather new,” Fierro said. She added that there were little signs of decomposition.
These are likely the remains of a man between 40 and 60 years of age, a coroner's spokesman said. They will be looking into missing person's dental records to try and make a match.
A helicopter was seen circling the area and cadaver dogs were enlisted to help investigators find any other remains. However, by sundown, the search yielded no results, Fierro said.
The coroner's officer removed the head from the scene Tuesday night, authorities confirmed.
The trail will be closed to hikers and guarded by police throughout the night as to not compromise the crime scene. Detectives will return to the site Wednesday morning.
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The investigation is being handled by LAPD’s Robbery-Homicide Division.
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