Body parts of woman found at two treatment plants
Body parts discovered at two L.A.-area water-treatment plants 30 miles apart earlier this week are believed to have belonged to the same woman. A coroner’s DNA report is pending.
Body parts found at two treatment plants 30 miles away from each other appear to be related, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.
The upper torso of a woman was found at a waste treatment plant near Whittier on Monday and is believed to match a pelvis and legs found Saturday at a water treatment plant in Carson, officials said.
Detectives are treating the matter as a homicide, said Lt. Mike Rosson of the Sheriff’s Department. Coroner’s officials said they will examine the DNA of the body parts to be sure they are linked.
Authorities said they believe that the woman’s body entered the sanitation system somewhere in the San Gabriel Valley. Investigators said they are still hoping to locate a missing arm of the woman.
“Anything that comes into the Los Angeles water plant must move through a 17-inch line before going through a central pump. So you imagine what kind of damage to a person’s body would happen,” Rosson said.
The torso was found at the San Jose Creek Water Reclamation Plant on Workman Mill Road, authorities said.
Don Avila, a spokesman for the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County, said the two plants are interconnected. Sewage pipes as large as 12 feet in diameter connect seven facilities across the region, he said.
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