Investigation mounts as another dead body is discovered in the area




LOCATION–The human remains were found near this trailhead in east Calabasas.            JOHN LOESING/Acorn Newspapers

For the third time in four months, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s detectives have been called to the area to investigate the discovery of a dead body.

A Caltrans worker found human skeletal remains Sept. 5  on the Juan Bautista de Anza East Trailhead in Calabasas. The trail is at the 25100 block of Calabasas Road about one mile north of Mureau Road.

The Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner confirmed that the body is human. The remains, which reportedly are those of a male, could be up to six months old, an official said.

Due to the level of decomposition the cause of death was not readily apparent.

Calabasas City Manager Gary Lysik visited the crime scene and confirmed that it lies within the city limits, on parkland owned by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy.

“(Lost Hills Sheriff’s Capt. Josh Thai) informed me of the situation and I started asking some questions,” Lysik said. “There was absolutely no evidence of any wrongdoing, no weapons found, anything. They’re not calling this a homicide,” Lysik said.

“They believe they know who it is but the name is being withheld until other family members are notified. There was really nothing to let the public know in this instance. It was an unfortunate event. . .  and because they’re not releasing the name I think I’m limited to what I should say.”

Detectives were called to the Malibu Canyon area south of Calabasas after passersby discovered dead bodies in May and July. Detectives said it was likely that a Los Angeles street gang went to the canyon to dump the victims.

The body of 19-year-old Roger Eli Chavez-Barahona was discovered on an embankment next to Piuma Canyon Road on July 27. He died from multiple gunshot wounds, the L.A. County coroner said. The body of 52-year-old Francisco Reynaldo Cruz was found May 16 in a drainage ditch along the 1600 block of Las Virgenes Canyon Road south of Calabasas. Cruz was killed by sharp force injuries to the neck and chest, and a blunt force injury to the head, a report said.

On June 22, Irvine resident Tristan Beaudette was shot and killed while camping at Malibu Creek State Park. Since then, there have been nine reports of gunfire in the canyon, but none of the incidents have been confirmed as gunshots.

At a public safety meeting hosted by State Sen. Henry Stern last month, Lt. James Royal of the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station said that after investigation, several reported ‘gunshots’ were cars backfiring, an exploding transformer, and in one case, a windshield shattering due to heat.

Regardless, reports of gunfire spread through social media and some residents have become wary of going hiking and camping in the area.

“When we were at the scene, there was discussion like, ‘the public is saying shootings, this, that and the other.’ That one shooting that did take place is all that the sheriff knows about,” Lysik said. “Everything else was fireworks or a transformer that made some noise, a car backfired.

Anyone with information about the Sept. 5 incident is encouraged to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500.

Secrets

People vanishing in the Santa Monica Mountain range is not a new phenomenon. Its deep canyons and craggy rocks hold many mysteries.

Still unsolved is the disappearance of a 53-year-old Agoura Hills Man, Timothy Perryman, who went hiking in the local mountains in 2004 and was not seen again.

In 2009, 24-year-old Mitrice Richardson was taken into custody by the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Department for an infraction and went missing immediately upon her release from the Calabasas jail. Her remains were discovered the following year in the remote mountain area of Monte Nido, and a cause of death was never determined.

In another baffling case, this one in 2017, a 20-year old Glendale resident, Elaine Park, was seen leaving in car from the home of an ex-boyfriend in Calabasas. The car was found five days later on the other side of the mountain near Corral Canyon. Inside the unlocked car with keys still in the ignition were Park’s backpack, cellphone, computer and cash. The woman hasn’t been seen since.

John Loesing and Stephanie Bertholdo contributed to this article.