Hollywood Hills severed head case still has little clues

HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- It's been several weeks since a severed head and other body parts were found in Bronson Canyon Park. Police said they are still working on the case, but people who come to the park said it is a bit nerve wracking and are hoping the mystery is soon solved.

"It seemed like they were getting somewhere, I mean they found multiple parts and everything," said dog walker David Binck.

It's a story that reads like a horror movie- a severed head found near the famed Hollywood sign. A few days later, police discovered his hands and feet.

The medical examiner's office used fingerprints from the victim's severed hand to identify 66-year-old Hervey Medellin. He lived with a younger man in a third floor apartment on De Longpre Avenue in Hollywood.

But there has been very little news since. On Thursday, Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck said robbery homicide detectives were actively working the case.

"They are making progress," said Beck. "I am not going to delineate that progress because I don't want to inhibit their investigation by releasing too many details."

Two women walking dogs found the severed head inside a plastic bag. It's a mystery that has gained a lot of attention, and for a while people who went there wondered if there was any danger.

"We do not in this case think that the general public is at risk because of the nature of this crime," said Beck.

"It doesn't seem to have affected much up here," said Binck. "It's business as usual, everybody is up here."

However people certainly have a lot of questions about this mystery, questions the police chief isn't ready to answer just yet.

"It will take time," said Beck. ""This is a case that will depend on forensics and much work is yet to be done."

"It's hard to solve that type of crime, especially if someone cleans up their tracks, and they did what they did, nature kind of took its course," said walker Rocky Vanoost. "Coyotes are up there, they can carry stuff away, so it might take a while- absolutely."

Police have questioned several people who lived inside the Medellin's apartment building, but would not say if it invited any new leads.

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homicide investigation, body part found, los angeles news, carlos granda

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