Head found by hikers' dogs in Hollywood Hills

LOS ANGELES?? Two women walking dogs in the Hollywood Hills found a human head in a plastic bag, Los Angeles police said.

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The women made the discovery on a popular trail below the Hollywood sign Tuesday afternoon, police said.

"Two of the dogs began to play with the bag and what appeared to be an object. While the dogs were playing with it, at some point the object came out of the bag and they discovered that it was a head ? a severed head," Sgt. Mitzi Fierro told KCAL-TV.

The bag was visible from the trail, she said.

The Los Angeles Times cited sources as saying it appeared to be from a man in his 40s with "salt-and-pepper" hair.

Not there long
Police believe the severed head had not been at the site for a long time, based in part on the fact that there were no animal bites on it.

"There's not a lot of signs of decomposition yet," Fierro said.

The women who discovered the bag work as dog walkers and had about nine dogs with them at the time, Officer Karen Rayner said.

Investigators hope to come up with a sketch of the victim in order to identify who he is, Fierro said. Coroner's investigators also will attempt to identify the victim through dental records.

Police used cadaver dogs to assist in the search for further human remains until dusk, when they called off the investigation until daylight returns.

The crime scene was being guarded by police. NBC Los Angeles reported that detectives returned to the site Wednesday morning. The investigation is being handled by LAPD?s Robbery-Homicide Division.

The stretch of road where the head was found is a hiking trail popular with local residents, especially dog walkers.

The trail also passes by the "Batcave," which was used in the original Batman and Robin series.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46036506/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

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