LOS ANGELES (KTLA) – An investigation is underway after the body of an unidentified woman was found burning in a shopping cart left in the Chinatown neighborhood of Los Angeles on Tuesday morning.
The fire was reported just before 5 a.m., a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson confirmed. Investigators say a man who works in the area discovered the burning shopping cart and tried to douse the flames. The man then called 911 after discovering the body.
Authorities have not identified the woman, but noted that the death is suspicious.
“We don’t know if this is homeless-related. We don’t if it’s gang-related. We really are in the preliminary stage of this investigation,” Lt. Ryan Rabbett said.
It was also unclear if the woman was still alive when the fire started, or if her body had been burned after she died.
Surveillance video is being reviewed to search for clues in the incident.
“I think that video, which [there] seems to be a lot of in this neighborhood, will tell us a lot more,” Rabbett said.
A possible second crime scene was also being investigated by some nearby railroad tracks, police said.
