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A Second Human Skull Near The Hollywood Sign Has Been Found By Hikers

By Jennifer Ricketts
Published on: 15:57 PST, Mar 20, 2016

A human skull was discovered by a pair of hikers near the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles, prompting an investigation. The pair were hiking in Griffith Park near Bronson Canyon off the main trail on Saturday afternoon when they discovered the human remains. They immediately reported their findings to park rangers, who then contacted authorities.

According to Fox News, Lt. Ryan Schatz reported that the hikers found the skull around 2 p.m. about 400 feet from the Brush Canyon trail near the Hollywood sign. Schatz said the area has been closed off while investigators work and search the grounds.

“It’s obviously been there for a long time,” Los Angeles Police Department Sgt. Frank Gonzalez said.

KABC reports that detectives had to use rope to rappel down about 100 yards to reach the skull.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports officials began a search of the area for any possible evidence and to see if other body parts would be found nearby. At this time, other body parts have not been located. According to KTLA, cadaver dogs will be brought in and the search will continue on Sunday.

Authorities said they believe the human skull had been by the sign for at least a few years.

As eerie and disturbing as this discovery of a human skull near the Hollywood sign is, it isn’t the first time a human skull has been found there. In 2012, a similar discovery was made by a hiker who found a man’s severed head in a plastic bag in the area.

The man was later identified as Hervey Coronado Medellin, 66, and his hands and feet were later found near the trail. Medellin, who was a retired airline worker, was killed by his boyfriend, Gabriel Campos-Martinez. Campos-Martinez, 38, was found guilty of strangling Medellin to death and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison last fall.

Police said it will take more than a week to determine the age and gender of the victim whose skull was found on Saturday. They’re also looking to determine the person’s cause of death and how long the skull has been at the park. A coroner is analyzing the skull to find the victim’s age and gender.

Griffith Park is one of the largest municipal parks in the nation with 4,210 acres and covers 6.5 square miles in the eastern Santa Monica Mountain range. The park is a popular place for hikers and contains a lot of rugged terrain and shrubbery, challenges any hiker would love.

There were some people on Twitter who couldn’t resist making a joke after news of the gruesome discovery broke.

Others were clearly shocked by the discovery.

What do you think about this second discovery of a human skull by the Hollywood sign in less than four years? Is the area safe for hikers, or should they be concerned?

[Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images]

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