Severed hands found in Hollywood after head discovery

PanARMENIAN.Net - A second human hand was discovered Wednesday, Jan 18, afternoon below the Hollywood sign, hours after another hand was found and a day after dogs discovered a severed head in the hiking area, Los Angeles Times reported.

LA Police Department detectives have been moving through a large swath of the Hollywood Hills in Bronson Canyon looking for more body parts and trying to determine what exactly happened.

The head was first discovered at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday in Bronson Canyon Park near a trail below the Hollywood sign by two people walking nine dogs. The first hand was found Wednesday morning. The second was found in the afternoon, all in the same general location in the shadow of the Hollywood sign.

About 30 detectives were on the scene Wednesday, along with officers trained in searching rough terrain. They had set up a grid to comb the area in search of additional body parts.

Investigators also were going door to door along Canyon Drive to talk to neighbors about whether they witnessed anything unusual - or if their trash had been displaced.

"We're hoping we can find more remains," said LAPD Cmdr. Andrew Smith.

Police believe the crime occurred somewhere else and the body was dumped. It's possible, Smith said, that a wild animal may have moved some of the body parts. The park is home to numerous coyotes.

The search is expected to continue Wednesday night and Thursday morning.

The head was believed to be that of a man, possibly of Armenian descent, in his 40s with salt-and-pepper hair. Authorities hope to identify the man using dental records and fingerprints.