Body Found In Curbside Trashcan In Sunland

LOS ANGELES, CA — A body was found in a trash bin in a Sunland neighborhood Thursday, prompting investigators to close off the area.

Police responded to a report of a possible human body stuffed in a trash bin in the 8500 block of Wentworth Street, said Los Angeles Police Department Officer Jeff Lee.

"It's being investigated as a homicide," he added.

According to the LAPD, the trash can had been sealed at the time the body was discovered. The trashcan had been placed on the curb for trash pickup.

The grisly discovery was made at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, and police roped off the area as the investigation continued into the afternoon.

The age, gender and identity of the victim was not immediately known.

The discovery rattled residents in the quiet neighborhood.

“I am scared i just want to know what happened," said Maria Markarian, a Sunland resident told NBC Los Angeles. "It is disturbing, I go back and forth here to know what happened because I want to protect my family and the neighborhood of course it is our neighborhood.”

It's the second time in less than a year that human body parts have turned up in Los Angeles trash.

In December, the dismembered body of a Tarzana woman was found in a dumpster, leading to a triple homicide investigation.

In that case, the son of a Hollywood studio executive is suspected of killing his wife and her parents and throwing her dismembered body into a Ventura Boulevard dumpster after unsuccessfully trying to get day laborers to haul off the body parts.

SEE ALSO:

• Studio Exec's Son Charged With Triple Murder In Dismemberment Killings
• Dismembered Body Found In Plastic Bag At LA Strip Mall