Monday, March 10, 2014

A heads up from Pat Minelli

Minelli
Our appreciation today goes to head editorial consultant Pat Minelli, for his diligence in following up on a story that appeared here a couple of years ago. Regular readers may recall that your hosts were wintering in Los Angles in 2012 when a severed head was found in a rustic area near their rental home. Stan had been hiking with Birdie there just before the head was found, after a dog shook it out of a plastic bag. Nobody ever claimed responsibility for it so the widely-reported head case gave us the willies for a while.
Naturally, we repeated this sensational story to you, but nothing ever came of it. Until now.
Today Pat forwarded this AP story, giving us some closure to this sad case.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles police said Monday they've solved the case of a severed human head and other body parts found two years ago near the Hollywood sign.

Police announced the arrest of Gabriel Campos Martinez, 38, for the 2012 murder of Hervey Coronado Medellin, 66, of Los Angeles. Martinez was arrested in San Antonio, Texas, on Sunday with the help of local authorities and is being held without bail while he awaits extradition proceedings.

Two women discovered Medellin's head while walking dogs on a trail in Griffith Park. One of the dogs, which was off its leash, had started to play with a plastic bag. When the dog shook the bag, the head fell out.

More than 120 police officers, firefighters and Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies searched 7 acres of the park during a two-day search.

Another cadaver dog helped find more body parts, including hands and feet, near the same area where the head was discovered.

Police have said they believe the victim was killed elsewhere and his remains dumped just inside the park, which attracts hundreds of hikers and dog walkers on most days.

Although rustic, it is just a short distance from film studios and other Hollywood attractions.