California authorities are investigating after the body of a woman was found burning in a shopping cart in a drug-rattled area of Chinatown early Tuesday.
A passerby arriving for work at an art business made the grisly discovery at around 5 a.m. and used a fire extinguisher to put out the flames that were still burning, the LAPD said.
Investigators were only able to determine that the victim was a woman but she was so badly burned that they couldn’t identify or give an approximate age for her.
They are now looking for a man caught around the area on surveillance footage. Residents of the neighborhood revealed that there are homeless encampments where drug dealers and users often meet.
“I’ve seen people using drugs and running around the railroad tracks. I’ve called the police, and seen people light fires. The fire department has been called a few times,” one said.
“People getting driven to that place – it would take a lot for the human mind to come up with a reaction to do something like that to someone, which is just hideous,” another added.
Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to call 877-LAPD-247.
