The Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office has released new details on the remains of one of two women who were discovered in vehicles at two local tow yards this week.
Both deaths are being investigated as homicides, according to law enforcement sources who were not authorized to speak publicly about the cases.
One woman’s remains were discovered about 12:20 p.m. Monday, when police responded to Hollywood Tow on Mansfield Avenue, according to Los Angeles police Officer Charles Miller. Someone smelled a foul odor coming from the front trunk of a vehicle, and detectives were sent to investigate the possible presence of human remains.
The car, a Tesla with a Texas license plate, was towed from the tony Bird Streets neighborhood in the Hollywood Hills, according to police sources. The vehicle had been abandoned five days before, and the remains were contained in a bag, according to a law enforcement source who was not authorized to discuss the investigation.
“The decedent was found severely decomposed inside a vehicle,” read a statement from the medical examiner’s office. “She appears to have been deceased inside the vehicle for an extended period of time before being found. We are unable to determine her age or race/ethnicity. The decedent was wearing a tube top and black leggings (size small). She has wavy black hair. Jewelry includes yellow metal stud earring and yellow metal chain bracelet.”
The medical examiner said the woman was 5-foot-2 and 71 pounds and that she had a tattoo on her right index finger that said “Shhh ... ”
Initially, the remains were described as a “head and torso.”
The owner of the vehicle has been identified as David Anthony Burke, a musician whose stage name is D4vd, according to a law enforcement source. The singer, who performed Tuesday in Minneapolis on his world tour, has been cooperating with investigators and is not believed to be involved with the woman’s death.