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Burning body found hanging from tree in Los Angeles' Griffith Park
The body was spotted near the park’s merry-go-round by passers-by, who reported the flames to the park rangers
August 10, 2022 4:15am
Updated: August 10, 2022 9:56am
A burning body was found hanging from a tree in Los Angeles’ Griffith park on Tuesday afternoon, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
The body was spotted near the park’s merry-go-round by passers-by, who reported the flames to the park rangers.
Firefighters arrived at the scene at around 12:38 p.m. to put out the blaze. However, the victim was already dead by the time they arrived.
A body was found hanging from a tree and on fire here at Griffith Park in Los Angeles, near the Merry-Go-Round. Notably, when it was discovered at around 12:38 p.m., the body was still on fire. The age, race, and gender of the person deceased has not yet been released. pic.twitter.com/jKXWeeE3kG
— Vishal P. Singh (they/he) 🏳️⚧️ (@VPS_Reports) August 9, 2022
A coroner was called to the scene to retrieve the remains, which could not be identified due to the extensive burns it suffered.
LAPD is launching an investigation into the death, however, they believe the person died of self-immolation.
"It appears to be self-immolation," said LAPD detective Michael Ventura. "This is going to be somebody who brought some gasoline, brought some lighters. We have had, they are rare, but we do have cases where people will self-immolate. Or they choose to set themselves on fire."
A detective said there was no evidence of foul play in the incident. Police believe the victim to be a person who frequents the park on a regular basis.
Griffith Park is one of the largest urban parks in the United States, covering 4,210 acres of land in the neighborhood of Los Feliz.
