Detectives Thursday were investigating the death of a woman whose dog-bitten body was found in a homeless encampment in the Vermont Knolls neighborhood near South Los Angeles.
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 LASD Homicide Lt. Steven De Jong.
The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. De Jong said the body had suffered dog bites, but it was unclear if those wounds occurred after she was already dead.
At this point, it’s unclear if the woman 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 the woman’s cause of death, were at the scene along with animal control officers.
The medical examiner’s office reported the woman was in her 30s, but withheld her name pending notification of her next of kin.
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.