Police are investigating after a body was discovered inside a burning trashcan in South Los Angeles Monday morning.
Officers noticed the fire while patrolling near West 82nd Street and South Grand Avenue at about 3 a.m., Los Angeles Police Department Commanding Officer Billy Brockway said.
They were attempting to douse the flames with a fire extinguisher when they saw what appeared to be a body inside the trashcan and called for assistance from firefighters, Brockway said.
Fire crews arrived at the scene and extinguished the blaze in what appeared to be a residential trashcan.
Police confirmed that human remains were inside the trashcan, Brockway said. “At this point we cannot determine the gender, or the ethnicity, or the age of our victim,” he said.
The coroner's office was called to help identify the person and cause of death.
The incident was being investigated by homicide detectives.