Maria Castaneda's Body Found Near Tracks; Another Female Murdered in Central L.A?
Is it our imagination, or have there been a lot of young women's bodies discovered in the central Los Angeles area in the last year or so?
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Another find was made yesterday morning in Vernon, just southeast of downtown. The remains were identified to the Weekly today by L.A. coroner's assistant chief Ed Winter as belonging to 24-year-old Maria Castaneda.
The cause of death was unknown because an autopsy was still pending, he said:
In a statement sent to the Weekly, Vernon police said the find was reported about 7:30 a.m. Monday near railroad tracks in the 4600 block of Fruitland Avenue, which is near the L.A. River.
Cops said they noticed a "penetrating wound to her head," according to the statement.
They consider it a homicide and are asking for anyone with information on the case to call detectives at 323-587-5171.
Rumors of a serial killer and kidnapper in L.A.'s Northeast and Eastside areas were debunked by the LAPD early this year.
But the death of 22-year-old Bree'Anna Guzman, whose body was next to the Glendale Freeway in Silver Lake in January, remains unsolved.
In April the body of 17-year-old Michelle Lozano of Boyle Heights was found next to the 5 freeway in Lincoln Heights.
That's another unsolved case, but cops don't believe the two are related.
But anyone with info on those two cases was asked to call LAPD detectives at 213-486-6890.
[@dennisjromero / djromero@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]
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