A 36-year-old woman whose dog-bitten body was found by Los Angeles Police Department detectives at a homeless encampment in the Vermont Knolls neighborhood near South Los Angeles was identified by county authorities Friday.
The victim — identified by Los Angeles County Medical Examiner as Claudia Guerrero — was pronounced dead at the scene. The body had suffered dog bites, but it was unclear if those wounds occurred after she was already dead, said LASD Homicide Lt. Steven De Jong.
Detectives were called at approximately 11:40 p.m. Wednesday to the 1100 block of West 87th Street, west of Vermont Avenue, where they assisted deputies from the South Los Angeles sheriff’s station with a death investigation, said De Jong.
At this point, it’s unclear if Guerrero died as a result of a homicide, De Jong told Fox11, which reported that the initial call came from a person who claimed to also live in the encampment.
Los Angeles medical examiner’s personnel, who will determine Guerrero’s cause of death, were at the scene along with animal control officers.
Anyone with information about the investigation was asked to call the Sheriff Department’s Homicide Bureau at 323 890-5500. Callers who prefer to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or visit lacrimestoppers.org.