A decomposing body was spotted near a Rancho Palos Verdes cliff in California just days after human remains washed up on the same shores.
The body was found by a hiker off of a Pelican Cove trail on Saturday around 1 pm. Investigators believe the individual may have fell off Dina’s Viewpoint, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LACSD).
The unidentified person was found in a ‘severe state of decay’ near the 31000 block of Palos Verdes Drive South – which is in close proximity to where human limbs were found just days earlier.
But police said Saturday’s horrifying discovery is unrelated to the other incidents.
‘While [the hiker] was admiring the surroundings, she looked down and noticed what she thought was a body down at the base of the cliff,’ LACSD Lieutenant Steve DeJong said at a Sunday press conference.
‘The body was about 50 to 60 feet above the sea floor, and it appears based on our limited expertise with identifying decaying bodies, that it’s probably been there for a few months.’
DeJong said that the LA County Homicide Unit was on the scene to determine the cause of death – whether it was an accidental ‘slip and fall’ or ‘foul play.’
He did not say anything else about the investigation and the cause of death is still unclear.
A hiker noticed the decomposing body near a Pelican Cove trail on Saturday
Lieutenant Steve DeJong said the body found was likely decaying for several months
The scenic site has quickly turned into an eerie location, as this is not the first time a gory discovery has been made along the coastal city shores.
On Thursday, a partial leg was found by the 6800 block of Paseo Del Mar in Palos Verdes Estates. As authorities continued their search, they found a femur on the same day.
Just a day before that, a family hiking on Christmas Day found a leg on Bluff Cove Trail on the 800 block of Paseo Del Mar.
It is not known if the body parts all belonged to the same person.
Two sailors were reported missing on Christmas Eve, just two miles away from where these body parts were found.
The men, described to be in their 50s, vanished after their boat overturned near Cabrillo Beach amid forecasts of 13-foot waves.
A a family out for a walk on Christmas Day first came across a leg on Bluff Cove Trail on the 800 block of Paseo Del Mar
Investigators believe the body found on Saturday may have fell off the cliff
Rescue crews began a search at around 5:30 am and quickly located their boat on some rocks around the 1800 block of Paseo Del Mar.
Due to weather conditions, the search for the sailors was scaled back.
The Coast Guard announced its suspension on Wednesday after finding no evidence that the unidentified men could be alive.
Authorities have not found evidence to suggest the remains belong to the missing boaters.
‘We’re not ruling anything out, but that has not been determined at this point,’ Palos Verdes Estates Police Department captain Aaron Belda noted.
On November 16, a human skull and bone were found along the 300 block of Paseo Del Mar near the waterline of Rat Beach, according to a press release.
Two fisherman went missing near the area the remains were found, however police have yet to find evidence the discoveries are connected
Palos Verdes resident John Crayton was among those expressing concern about the discoveries
When officers of the Palos Verdes Estates Police Department responded to the scene, they found additional bones in the area.
The series of recent gruesome events has left locals shaken and fearful.
John Crayton, a Palos Verdes resident, told NBC on Thursday: ‘This is terrible. ‘It’s Christmas, it’s supposed to be a season of joy.’
‘It’s just shocking and makes you wonder you know and think that could have my family,’ said Zully Ozuna, a Palos Verdes beach-goer added.