Hand found in LA park where human head discovered

Hand found in LA park where human head discovered

Los Angeles Police detectives inspect a vehicle parked the wrong direction as they search the neighborhood below the Hollywood Sign after a plastic bag containing a human head was discovered Tuesday on a nearby trail in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012.

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Los Angeles investigators found a human hand Wednesday in the Hollywood wilderness park where a severed head in a plastic bag was discovered by dog walkers, and the search continued for other body parts.

The hand was discovered in Bronson Canyon as dozens of police officers, including homicide investigators, combed the brush along a winding trail a few miles below the Hollywood sign.

A coroner's cadaver dog found the hand about 50 yards from where the head was discovered on Tuesday afternoon, the Los Angeles Times (http://lat.ms/xWFSjT ) reported.

The remains are believed to come from the same man. Wild animals in the park may have some other body parts, police Cmdr. Andrew Smith said.

The head of a man in his 40s, 50s or 60s was found about a half-mile inside the gated canyon road, which is part of the vast Griffith Park.

"One of the dogs ran into the brush and came out carrying a plastic grocery bag. As the dogs shook the plastic grocery bag the severed human head fell out of the bag and onto the ground." Smith told KCBS-TV ( http://cbsloc.al/wnadpt ).

The man may have been killed elsewhere in recent days and his body dumped in the park, Smith said.

The man wasn't immediately identified. Police were checking reports of missing persons and coroner's investigators will check dental records.

Smith noted that the canyon is well-traveled by both cars and hikers. A paved road winds around picnic areas and a children's playground before connecting with a trail that eventually winds up near the Hollywood sign.

A second trail leads to a short tunnel known locally as the Batcave because it was used for a scene in the 1960s "Batman" series. It also is frequently used for filming TV and movie productions.